Love's Slave
by earthfire75
Summary: The Daleks are defeated and the Earth is returned to its proper place. All without the Metacrisis...until Bad Wolf remembers his creation and loss. Another visit to another alternate universe ensues! (Those of you who have difficulty seeing even Tentoo with someone other than Rose may want to avoid this fic)
1. Chapter 1

(TenII and his Mistress)

(AU Earth 1700)

Sebastian walked through the market seeking a trinket for his daughter. Her Coming of Age ceremony was three days away, and he had already made all the major arrangements for the party. Now, he was looking for a present. It was so much simpler when she was a small child. What did you get a girl who was about to become a woman? Dresses? Jewelry? No. Those things she would be receiving in ungodly amounts from other guests. He needed something…unique.

A commotion around the corner brought him out of his train of thoughts and he followed the noise. A make-shift stage sat at the juncture of the intersecting cobblestone streets. On the stage were two humans, one male, and one female. The female was being dragged off the stage to the waiting hands of her new master. She had likely been sold as a sex slave as small and thin as the poor girl looked. The male, Sebastian noticed, was putting up one hell of a fight, despite the fact that he looked just as thin as the girl, taking four of the slavers to hold him back while a fifth grabbed a whip, raising it in the air.

"Stop!" Sebastian yelled as he moved quickly toward the stage. All six men looked in his direction. The red skinned alien slaver holding the whip stepped forward as Sebastian reached the stage.

"You wish to purchase, Noble One? This one very unruly. Not good for noble like yourself. Still needs training." The slaver's voice was just as offensive to Sebastian as his occupation.

"Yes, I'll purchase him," Sebastian replied with barely contained disgust, but quickly schooled his tone and features, smiling at the slaver. "My daughter's Coming of Age is in but a few days, and she has a penchant for unruly slaves. Seems to have a way with them. Perhaps it's her soft hand, hum? How much?"

The slaver eyed Sebastian up and down for a moment before shrugging and responding. "250 credits."

"For this scrawny thing?! Tell me why you think I should pay you that much for something so obviously malnourished on top of being unruly, as you yourself put it."

"Is stronger than it looks! But, also pretty, yes? And well…equipped." The slaver snickered knowingly. "Surely, daughter will be pleased. However, masters did remove its ability to speak." He thought for a moment. "200 credits. Final offer."

Sebastian found himself in no mood to really argue, though he still thought it was highway robbery. "Fine." Taking out a credit stick, Sebastian handed it to the slaver, who immediately handed the heavy chain worn by the tall, skinny man he'd just purchased. Sebastian fought the bile rising in his throat. Despite the fact that he knew he and his daughter would find a way to get this poor man off this gods-forsaken world a free man, the idea of buying him as if he were actually a slave still sickened him. He knew his daughter wouldn't feel any better about it. He turned to the man in chains walking slightly behind him.

"That girl they dragged off…was she with you?" His question was answered with a shake of his head in the negative. Sabastian nodded. "Sorry it's a bit of a walk, but as soon as I get you into the safety of my home, I'll get this damnable chain off you." He softened his tone and demeanor to ease the other man.

Once inside the house, Sebastian removed the chain from its collar, as promised. But when he tried to remove the collar itself, the man before him backed away, eyeing him with suspicion.

"Blimey, how long have you been stuck in that thing? Alright, alright." He raised his hands up, palms out to show he meant no harm. "One step at a time. Come on, let's get you something to eat. And find my daughter. Sophia?!"

"In the kitchen, Da," her sweet voice nearly sang her reply.

Sebastian chuckled low. "The girl likes to bake. If her cooking doesn't put meat back on your bones, nothin' will."

They entered the kitchen to find Sophia bent over in front of the oven, pulling out fresh baked apple pie. The man who had worn chains studied Sophia's form. The fabric of her dress was so thin, he could make out the shadow of her shape. Her full, waist length dark blonde hair was like threads of golden silk. As she stood, placing the baking sheet on top of the stove, she turned to face him and her father. She smiled, with full pink lips, a smile that reached her almost unnaturally green eyes. Eyes that held him in place. He felt a twitch beneath the barely-there loincloth covering his groin and moved his hands to better cover himself as he looked anywhere but at her.

"Another stray for me to nurse back to health?" She raised her eyebrow at her father as she approached her new charge, who raised his own eyebrow at her at being called a stray. Her eyes roamed over his exposed skin and gave an amused smirk at his attempt at modesty. She circled behind him and noticed the whip marks on his back, tracing a few of them with her index finger. He shivered beneath her touch and she could have sworn she felt the hint of and electric shock in her fingertips. He was beautiful, she thought, but he wasn't hers to claim, not really. She came back around and moved toward the stove again, pulled down a bowl from the cupboard above her. She then filled it with the stew bubbling on the stove next to the pie and brought it to the table in the middle of the kitchen. "Eat," she ordered.

"Here, try these on. They were my brother's." Sophia handed her charge a pair of blue silk pajama pants. He looked at the small bundle in her hand warily, still trying not to look at her directly. "It's alright." She reached a hand out, cupping his face and brushing her thumb over his sideburn. "No one's gonna hurt you here. Not in this house. Now, try them on, then your bath should be ready." Sophia stepped out of her room to give him the privacy to change.

He emerged from her room dressed in the silk pajamas Sophia gave him with a smile that split his face. They were well fitting on him, Sophia noted, and the color looked good on him too. Now it was her turn to look anywhere but where she wanted. "Come on, I'll show you to the bath." He followed her down the hall and through the kitchen to a room beyond. The bath itself stood in the center and seemed to take up half the room. It looked more like a small in-ground pool then a bath. It was made of white marble and had a bench, for lack of a better word, at about mid-thigh level that ran all around the edges. The water within came up to his waist as he stood. It was steaming and smelled slightly of white jasmine. She stayed in the room, keeping her back to the bath, in case he slipped. She didn't want to stray far since he couldn't call for help.

Once done in the bath and redressed in the silk pajamas, Sophia led him back to her bedroom. She pulled back the covers and patted the mattress.

"Come, get some rest," she beckoned. Slowly, he approached the bed. Sophia stood up to give him room to climb in, but he only stood with her and she noticed he still wore the collar around his neck.

"Let's get this off you." He stiffened, still uncertain of his new mistress, what she expected of him and his own feelings concerning her. But allowed her to reach up around his neck and unhitch the collar. As Sophia pulled the collar away from his neck, she saw the scar where his adam's apple rested and traced it with her finger. Her brows furrowed in concern and quiet anger.

Looking down at her through lidded eyes, he gripped her wrists and held them to his chest, drawing small circles into the undersides. He then threw his arms around her, burying his face in the crook of her neck. She ran her fingers through his hair in a comforting gesture.

Heat pooled low in her abdomen when he had captured her wrists, leaving a dull ache between her legs. She was surprised at both his action and her own reaction, now his closeness, his arms wrapped around her waist, only made it worse. She needed to leave, before she did something they both might regret.

"It's alright. Just…get some rest. Tomorrow we'll try to get some things figured out."

He nodded against her shoulder, kissed her forehead and disentangled himself from her to crawl into the bed, pulling the covers up over his shoulders. Sophia watched him, fighting the urge to kiss him on the forehead. He looked more like a scared child now than a grown man. She turned to quietly leave the room once he had closed his eyes and headed toward the bath.

As Sophia soaked in the hot bath, she tried, and failed, to focus on anything but her charge. Granted, even the things she was trying to focus on had something to do with him, her treacherous mind kept going back to his strong, gentle hands holding her wrists to him and his mouth… She imagined, quite vividly, his mouth in places other than where it had been. Heat pooled in her again and this time it seemed stronger, unwilling to be ignored. This feeling is what scared her before. It's not like she'd never been kissed before, but never had it brought such a reaction, like when she had touched him to examine the scars left on his back. He hadn't even kissed her on the mouth, for Goddess' sake!

She had known he was different from the moment she laid eyes on him. There was something more than raw intelligence behind his eyes, something that told her that he was no ordinary slave. It was even more likely he wasn't a slave at all and she'd be surprised if he was even actually from her world. She made the decision to risk using her, admittedly limited, telepathic abilities to find out what she could from him, to help get him back to wherever it was he called home. She then turned her attention to alleviating the ache between her legs.

Dressed in her nightgown, Sophia stepped outside and walked toward the gazebo in the back garden. Looking up at the sky, she focuses on the full moon and closes her eyes.

_'Mother, what's happening to me?'_ Even in her own mind, her voice seemed small and more than a bit scared. She could hear her mother's half amused response, as if she were standing right there next to her daughter.

_'You know what's happening, child. Sooner than it would if you were full Estonian, but same results._

_'Yes, I know. Of course I know, just… no one told me it would be so strong, so powerful._

_'I'm sorry. You were so young when I left you…There was so much I hadn't yet taught you'_

_'Mum, you didn't leave us, you were taken from us. I don't blame you for any of this, please believe that.'_

_'Does he bring you joy?'_ Her mother chose to change the subject back to the previous conversation.

Sophia looked to her right side, were her mother would stand beside her, but she couldn't see the ghost image of the other woman there. _'Sometimes I hate that I'm not as strong as you. I can't see you.'_

_'I'm the only one allowed to avoid questions and change subjects.' _Sophia heard her mother chuckle. _'Does he bring you joy?'_

_'Honestly, it's far too soon. I've known him for less than a day.'_

_'Still, a woman knows when she's found the right man. You are a woman now, Sophia. The ceremony is just that, a celebration and official acknowledgment. But it doesn't make you what you are. Only you make you, not a bunch of stuffy old nobles. Never forget that. And if you even think you love that man, hold onto him. Because, even if you lose him, it's worth it. Love is always worth the heartache. I know your father and I regret nothing of our time together.'_

_'We're cursed, aren't we? To fall in love, with slaves no less, only to lose them. You were a slave when Da met you. And he lost you! He still hasn't told me the whole story behind that. Khoshi fell in love with Maranda when she was still a slave and lost her. And then he was lost to us only weeks after. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'm worried something is going to happen if I let myself get close to him. What do I do, Mum?'_

_'Do you remember what I told you? About watching a man sleep?'_

_'Yes.'_

_'Do that. You'll know what to do from there, I think. I love you, my child, but my time with you is coming to an end, for now.'_

_'Good bye, Mum. I love you too.'_


	2. Chapter 2

(The Doctor & Rose)

They had just dropped off Jack, Martha and Mickey when the Doctor turned to Rose and Donna. He was about to open his mouth when he noticed Rose staring with worry at the console.

"Rose?"

Rose, for her part, suddenly found herself trying to recall the last 48 hours. There had been a container of some sort under the center console that contained the Doctor's first hand. The one he had lost during his battle with the Sycorax. Now the container stood there broken and empty. The Doctor had poured excess regeneration energy into the container after he had been shot, using only what he needed to heal, siphoning off the rest to stop from completely regenerating. Had that caused something to happen to the hand?

"Rose?!" The Doctor's voice broke through her musings.

She nods her head slightly toward where the container had been. "Your hand, s'gone."

"What?" He moved to get a better look under the console. "What?!"

"What happened to it, Doctor?" Donna asked with some concern.

The Doctor turned to look at both women, brows furrowed in concern and concentration. "I…I have no idea… A mystery for another time, perhaps?" His features relaxed only slightly as he approached Rose, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Rose…Do you…do you want to go back? To stay with your mother, I mean." Worry and fear were now evident in his eyes.

"No. I told you before, yeah? I made my choice. It's you, Doctor, it's always been you. But…there is something I need to go back for."

"Right." He nodded his head as a smile spread slowly across his face. "There's still a hole big enough to get through. There's something I want to do, or rather ask, that I'd like your mother," he nodded toward Jackie, "…and Pete present for, anyway. Even at the risk of a proper Tyler slap." Jackie, for her part, remained quiet, watching the two of them with a sinking feeling in her gut.

Rose looked up at the Doctor questioningly as he wrapped her up in his arms, resting his chin on top of her head. "Alright." She answered simply and his smile broadened as he pulled her back towards the console, flipping switches and pulling leavers to take them back to Pete's World so Rose could say good-bye to her family.

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS first, looking around the beach, the memory of the last time she stood here nearly bringing her to tears. But she sternly reminded herself that she wasn't staying this time, and the Doctor's hand now clutching hers tightly helped to ease her fears. With a look and a smile at each other, they begin to walk down the beach toward Pete Tyler, with Donna on the other side of the Doctor and Jackie at Rose's side.

Pete watched the three individuals walking toward him. Looking down at the two toddlers sitting on either side of him, Pete took a deep breath before speaking. "C'mon, boys. Let's go meet up with the family."

"K, Daddy." The little blonde boy responded to his father.

_'Grampa? Who's with mummy?' _Pete felt the question in his mind and about jumped.

"John, I wish you'd stop doing that…I know it's how you and your Mum communicate, but it still freaks me out."

"Sowwy, Grampa."

They all met somewhere in the middle, forming a semi-circle where they stood. Jackie picked up the little blonde boy and hugged him tight, then wrapped an arm around her husband. She eyed her daughter, then the Doctor. "You're really gonna go back with himself then, aren't you." It was more statement than question as she turned her attention back to Rose. The Doctor wrapped an arm around Rose's waist possessively.

"Yeah, mum. I don't belong here, you know that. And…" She turned toward the Doctor, "There's something I need to ask you. S'silly, but I need to know, Doctor. The last time we stood on this beach, you were gonna say something. What was it?"

"I said 'Rose Tyler'."

"Yeah, and how was that sentence gonna end?"

"I think I can answer that and ask my own question at the same time." He turned to face Rose fully, casting wary glances at Jackie out of the corner of his eyes. He cupped Rose's face in one hand, lacing his fingers in her hair and took a deep breath. "Rose Tyler, I love you and…" he braced himself for either her rejection or Jackie's slap, or both as he carefully pulled his other hand out of his trouser pocket, clutching a small box. "Would you honor me by becoming my wife?" The Doctor held out his now open hand toward Rose so she could take the box.

Rose blinked at the box almost disbelievingly while Jackie squealed in excitement. Even Pete looked on at the Doctor like he had been waiting for the hat to drop. He had no doubt the Doctor loved his adopted daughter, but never for a moment did the man think The Doctor would force himself into domestics. With a shaking hand, Rose took the box from the Doctor's outstretched hand and opened it. There was a sharp intake of breath and she covered her mouth with her free hand.

"Oh, my God!" Rose felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Time Lord," he amended for her and he was rewarded with a playful slap to his arm.

"Well, c'mon, let's see it sweetheart." Jackie crooned.

"Yeah, gotta share with the class now," Donna beamed.

Rose took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her ring finger. The simple band appeared to be made of blue steel with a TARDIS blue heart shaped sapphire set at its center. Once Jackie and Donna got their eye full of the ring, Rose threw her arms around the Doctor's neck and kissed him soundly on the mouth.

"Is that a yes, Rose Tyler?" he asked playfully. But his tone turns more serious, "I've waited so long, too long, to ask you that. Properly ask. Two years, Rose, before it all went pear-shaped. I should have asked you that night. I…"

She silenced him with a kiss."I…have something to show you. Someone to introduce you to, really." Rose picked up the other toddler standing next to Pete as the Doctor looked on. His eyes widening by the second. "That same day, I said I was pregnant, but then took it back, said it was Mum. I…I was too. I took it back, 'cause I didn't want you to worry. Or feel guilty. Any more than you already were, knowing you." She brought the child to him and the Doctor tentatively took the toddler from her. "Doctor, meet your son, John."

_'Daddy?' _

The Doctor looks over the boy's face, feeling the prick of tears behind his eyes. He had Rose's eyes, but the Doctor could see himself in the child. It was almost as if someone had taken features from each of his incarnations and smooshed them together, then smoothed them out and made this little boy. John even had the Doctor's mop of wild brown hair atop his head. Tears of joy ran down his cheeks as it sank in the boy really was his. His and Rose's. He had a family again, a family he wanted, and not one he was obligated to. His love for Rose only grew.

_'Yes, son.'_

John placed his tiny hands on either side of the Doctor's face, trying to brush away his tears. _'Daddy? What's wong?'_

The Doctor smiled through his tears at John. _'Nothing's wrong. I'm just…very happy to finally meet you.'_

He cleared his throat, a bit unsuccessfully "We…we need to go, before the walls close." He held the child close to his chest, voice raw with emotion and full of awe.

"Right, then. Sorry, mum, we have to go." She gave her mother the tightest hug she dared. "I'll miss you."

"It's alright, sweetheart. Take care of yourself. And you, ya plum," Jackie now directed her attention to the Doctor, "You take care of them, both of them and yourself. You hear me?"

"Yes, mum," the Doctor teased.

"Oi! I'm serious! You take care of them, like a proper husband and father!"

Donna let out a small laugh. "Come on, Spaceman, before Mother Wolf gets her hackles up."

"Yeah, and she forces you to regenerate. I love you, but no." Rose turned back to her mother for another hug. "Promise me you'll keep telling Tony stories, yeah?" She kissed the boy Jackie held in her arms, then turned to Pete to give him a hug. "I'm gonna miss you too, dad."

"We'll miss you too, love. Now, get out of here. Be happy with your Doctor." Pete kissed Rose on the forehead, smiling at her with pride.

"'Course we'll tell Tony about you and the Doctor, sweetheart. You'll find a way to let me know if I'm getting any more grandkids, won't you?" Jackie looked from Rose to the Doctor, her expression was a combination of hope and worry.

"Mum!"

"Well, I'd like to know, alright?"

"I promise, Jackie, if there's a way to get a message through, we'll let you know. Two minutes left! Back to the TARDIS, ladies!" The Doctor turned to face the way they came and extended his elbows out to either side, one hand towards Rose, the other towards Donna and pulled them both back to the TARDIS, carrying his son on his shoulders, leaving Jackie and Pete to watch them leave in the Time Ship.

Once aboard, the Doctor rushed to the console, handing John over to Rose, and started to flip switches. Rose flopped down on the jump seat, watching the Doctor intently. Neither notice Donna holding back, still standing at the top of the ramp. The Doctor threw a final lever and the ship shakes a bit.

"There. Safely back in our own universe," he smiled with satisfaction.

"S'pose you'll be taking me home, then?" Donna looked down at her feet.

What? Why would I… Donna? Do you…do you _want_ to go home?"

"Well no. But won't I be in the way now? Third wheel, right?"

"Donna, s'the TARDIS, yeah? Hard to be 'in the way' in here. Tried it once." Rose laughed. "Besides," she looked up at the Doctor, "I think our daft alien still needs you."

"Right! Here!" He huffed, but squeezed Rose's hand before coming around the console and walked up to Donna. "She's right though. Donna, you've been my best friend. Well…more like a sister, really."

Rose stepped up beside the Doctor, taking his hand. "We'd like you to stay, yeah? Besides, we could always use an extra hand with John." As if in agreement, John reached out towards Donna.

"Yeah?" Donna asked, looking between them.

"Yes," the Doctor answered. The three shared a hug with John trapped in the middle, then he bent his head to kiss Rose.

"Auntie Onna!" John squealed in excitement.

"Alright, Space Boy, where to?" Donna asked, smiling at John as she took the boy from Rose.

"If I know you, Rose Tyler, you're going to want to tell Martha and Mickey and…" he shivered visibly, "Jack about John and our engagement eventually. Weellll," he drawled out, "Suppose Mikey already knew about John, didn't he?" If Rose didn't know better, she would have thought he was accusing her of something.

"Yeah, he did. I…I'd like to take John to see Mickey on occasion, actually. I feel guilty enough he's never gonna see Tony again. Or Mum and dad, for that matter." The Doctors features softened and nodded.

"Right, then. Perhaps we avoid danger for a day, hum?" He wrapped an arm around Rose's waist, pulling her with him back to the console. "Give ourselves a day to celebrate before we go back to Earth."

Rose and Donna both rose an eyebrow at the Doctor. "Avoid danger? You?" they asked incredulously and in unison.

"Oi! I can be very careful when I need to be!" Grinning like an idiot, the Doctor looked over at the three people who were, for all intents, his wife, sister and son. Then set the coordinates and sent his Time Ship in motion.


	3. Chapter 3

(TenII and his Mistress)

Sophia woke in her bed, sunlight showing through the edges of the heavy curtains. She wondered two things, one: when had she gotten into her bed? And two: why had she slept so late? She remembered coming back to her room after her bath, but she had sat in her chair, watching her charge sleep. Her mother used to tell her a lot could be learned about a man by watching him in such a way. Sophia had learned that her charge was troubled and, perhaps, in need of more help than she first thought. Nightmares plagued the man's sleep, he didn't need to speak for her to figure that much out. His silent screams and tears and tortured expressions told her all she needed to know. She turned in the bed, pulling the sheets back, hoping to find him hiding somewhere in the comfortable sanctuary. She couldn't help the pang of disappointment at not finding him there.

She flopped onto her back on the mattress. It was probably for the best that he wasn't still there, anyway. Pulling herself out of bed, Sophia changed into a clean dress of midnight blue silk that had silver beads sewn into it, making it look like stars against the night sky. She made her way to the kitchen to find both her father and her charge sitting at the breakfast table.

"Good morning, father. Has he eaten yet?" She asks.

"Good morning, love. Aye, he's been given something to eat."

His eyes lit up when he turned to see her standing beside her father, mouth agape then closed with an audible click of his teeth. His eyes turned sad as he took in the dress she had chosen, reminding him of the stars he would never see again. Not the way he used to.

She stepped up to her charge, bent down until they were face to face and she noted the sad look in his eyes. She cursed her empathy and maternal nature, fighting the urge to wrap him up in her arms and kiss his unshed tears from his eyes.

The man before her, for his part, fought his own urges. To reach for her and pull her into his lap…or worse… He realized that the fact that her father stood right there was probably the only thing keeping him in check. He cursed his weak human body and its needs, wants, desires.

Memories he was certain weren't his own flash in his mind. They belonged to his creator/father/brother. Memories of him with his lover, holding her hand and running, making love to her against the wall of his ship, on a space station on an impossible planet, again against his ship and in her bed in her mother's flat. Of losing her and finding her again.

"I think…you and I are going to conduct a bit of an experiment." Her voice broke through his borrowed memories.

Her father chuckled behind her. "I have a few more things to take care of for tomorrow. Are you going to be alright handling this one by yourself?"

Sophia eyed her charge up and down. "Yeah, he won't hurt me. I'll be fine."

With that, Sebastian left the house to return to the market while Sophia quietly prepared herself for the mental challenges she was about to put the two of them through. She took several deep, even breaths, relaxing both her mind and body. When she was ready, she hooked a finger under his chin and bade him look at her.

"Before I officially start this, there's one question I need you to answer first. Just nod yes or no. Are you alright with a telepath in your head?"

His eyes went wide in surprise, but nodded his head yes and Sophia let out a sigh of relief. She relaxed and then focused on her charge. He tentatively took her hands and guided them to his temple when he felt her mind brush against his. Then brought his own to hers, but stopped short, giving her a questioning look.

"You're a touch telepath?" she asked. He nodded and she leaned her head toward his hands in permission. Gently, he placed his fingers on her temple, resting his thumbs on her cheekbones. Sophia mirrored his touch.

"We won't need to stay like this. After the link is made, it'll get stronger the more we use it.

_'First question: what's your name?'_

_'The Doctor. Or just Doctor, your choice.'_

_'Doctor? That's it?'_

_'Yes. Don't I get some kind of reward?'_

_'Maybe.'_

Sophia picked up the bowl and held it towards him, he took out a piece of fruit and ate it.

_'Second question: What species are you?'_

More memories flashed through his mind, these perhaps, were his, of his creation. A bright golden light poured into a cylinder containing a hand, his creator's hand. Then, a pink and yellow human had touched it by accident. Rose. Her name was Rose. She was his brother's (twin, really) lover. There was a part of him that thought of her as 'mother', just has he partly thought of his twin as 'father'. In some ways it was difficult not to. Without both of them, he wouldn't exist. Yet…they were the same man, after all. He really couldn't help feeling the same way about Rose as his twin, could he?

That left him with some questions he needed to answer. The first being at once the hardest and the easiest: Would he try to get back to his own universe? It was likely he couldn't, not unless this universe had its own version of Gallifrey and Time Lords, and not without a TARDIS. And even if he could get back, would he? Would he disrupt what had likely been a very happy reunion between his other self and Rose? If he knew, well…himself, the other him would just be a git and try to shove him and Rose somewhere and then try to avoid Earth as much as possible so he wouldn't be tempted to see her, rather than make any attempts to make it work with the three of them. The other him still needed Rose. Lastly: could this new version of himself love someone other than Rose? He looked at the woman standing before him. There was an undeniable physical attraction between them. But he was certain that was just the human part of him. Is that what it come down to? No, not quite. She was good and kind. The similarities between Sophia and Rose were more than just physical. Beautiful inside and out, without a doubt. And when she had traced over his scars, her touch had been so warm it felt like living flame and left him feeling cold when she pulled her hand away.

_'Human?'_

_"Do you not know?'_

_'It's…complicated.'_

_'Try me.'_

Sophia felt a wave of emotion wash over her, lust and need and desire and...something more. Or something that could become more. His eyes flicked over her body again.

_'I'm…half-human.'_

_'So am I. My father is human, like everyone else on this rock. My mother…she came from Estone and was from a telepathic race.'_

_'My…mother is human, my father's the telepath. It's weird, thinking of them as mother and father…I wasn't 'born', I was created. Biological Metacrisis, me. Sometimes, I think brother would be a more appropriate description. We're the same man…_were_ the same man, until my creation.'_

Sophia offered the bowl again and he took another bit of fruit from it, watching her intently.

_'What'…_she swallowed thick, her breathing going a bit shallow, _'what species is your father…brother?'_

_'Um'…_he pulled at his left ear, deciding whether or not to answer her. _'You said, was. When you spoke of your mother and brother, you used past tense.' _ A distraction. Yes, good.

Sophia took one of the grapes and popped it into her own mouth and the Metacrisis Doctor suddenly regretted the idea of trying to distract her, giving her an indignant look and pouting. Sophia pushed aside the thought of sinking her teeth into his protruding lower lip only to soothe it by sucking it into her own mouth. But the smirk slowly crossing his lips told her she hadn't pushed it away fast enough.

_'Perhaps that's enough for now. There are things I need to do before tomorrow. You feel up to maintaining a charade with me? It's very likely that our 'guests' will assume that you are in fact a slave. Specifically, mine, given to me by my father for my Coming of Age ceremony.'_

_'What do I have to do?'_

_'Not a lot, really. Mostly, stand next to me, look cute and pretend to adore me. Keep an ear out for anything that might catch your interest, if you like. And you don't have to worry about anyone else invading your thoughts. Like I said, you and I are the only telepaths around.'_

As Sophia pushed the bowl back toward the Doctor, he gave her a heated look through hooded eyes.

_'Who said I'd be pretending?'_

She cleared her throat and turned to leave the room.

_'I'll leave you to your own devices. I'll be in my mother's sewing room, likely for most of the day.'_ She tapped her temple. _'Reach for me if you need anything.'_

Sophia reached the sewing room and went straight to where her brother's old clothes were stored, searching for something for her Doctor to wear tomorrow. 'Her Doctor', she laughed humorlessly to herself. She again had to remind herself he wasn't hers to claim. But was it so wrong that she wanted to? To claim him, to love him, make him happy, to…erm…do things to him. It had felt so right when she had touched his bare skin yesterday. But would it really be worth it, as her mother claimed? Would her stay with her, or would he leave her as soon as he was able?

_'Not mine.'_ She turned back to the trunk of clothes, remembering the pleased look on his face when he had come out of her bedroom dressed in the blue silk pajama pants yesterday and started to pull out everything blue she could find.

_'What's not yours?' _ The Metacrisis' thoughts came through and sounded as if he were standing right behind her. Sophia reached back instinctively to take his hand, but only met empty air. Another pang of disappointment washed over her.

_'Nothing.'_ She let out a frustrated growl as she pulled up a blue silk shirt, eyeing it carefully. It looked just as it did when she had first made it. She'd made it for her brother as a gift for when he returned home, only she had never seen him again, his death just as much a mystery as her mother's. Sophia felt the sting of tears behind her eyes and let out a sob at remembering the loss of them both.

_'Are you alright?' _The Doctor could feel frustration flood his mind, mingled with a deep sadness. _'Talk to me, please?' _Was she…crying? He moved quickly down the hall, searching every room until he found her. _'Sophia, please don't shut me out.'_

Sophia sat on her knees, bent over herself, clutching a shirt in one hand. She covered her mouth with the other, trying to muffle the sounds of her sobs. Kneeling on the floor next to her, the Doctor gathered Sophia up in his arms and pulled her to his chest.

_'What's wrong, my Angel?'_

"Thinking too much?" Sophia sighed. "Sorry. Thinking about my mother and brother. My father and I still don't know how or why they died. My mother died after I was born, and my brother, only a few months after his Coming of Age. It's like…someone's trying to get rid of us. My family."

_'Are you worried something might happen tomorrow?'_

"Yes."

He began to rock her back and forth, running his fingers through her hair in comfort. _'Hush, now. I'll do everything in my power to protect you and your father. I owe you both for saving me.' _A part of her wanted to argue, but she just rested her head against his shoulder, letting him comfort her. After some time, she disentangled from him and turned back to the clothes she had been going through and he joined her.

As he searched through the trunk of clothes, the Doctor found a deep red shirt like the blue one Sophia had pulled out. Among the blue articles he found a pair of trousers and a brocade jacket with red. Sophia nodded approvingly.

"I'll get these washed and hung out to dry, then get us some lunch before getting to work on cleaning up the house. Do me a favor?" He nodded. "At the bottom of the trunk should be a box with a pair of boots and some boot wax. Polish them up?" He flashed a grin and dug through the trunk, pulling out the box when he found it. Opening the box revealed a pair of knee-high black leather boots as well as the wax and an old rag to use for polishing.

After washing and hanging the clothes out to dry, Sophia returned to the kitchen. She took out some meat to slice and cheese, which she cut into cubes, a round loaf of sweet bread and a small variety of fruit. The Doctor joined her a few minutes later, washing the wax from his hands as best he could. He sat at the table just as Sophia filled two plates with food and took a seat at the table next to her.

As they ate, their eyes would occasionally meet, causing their cheeks to turn pink. Sometimes images would slip through their link, causing pink to turn red. But the Metacrisis could tell the Sophia was holding back more. Whatever was happening between them, she was fighting it. Perhaps he should take the hint and leave it be, but something inside him wouldn't let him. She didn't have to be his lover if she really didn't want to, but he felt he needed her. Like his other self needed his companions, needed Rose. Someone to keep him in check. Someone's hand to hold. And if she wanted something more later, he didn't think he would deny her. How could he?

_She had become his Angel, savior, goddess_ _…_

Sophia cleared the table when they were done and began her house work. With the Metacrisis' help, it went much faster, giving her time to figure out her own outfit for tomorrow. The talked a bit about their lives, Sophia more so, as the Metacrisis hadn't lived long. But he told her about his short time on her Earth. Sophia's concern and anger at the pain he suffered in that time was evident in her eyes and voice as she spoke. Sebastian returned home during their cleaning and watched with amusement as they stole looks at each other when one thought the other wasn't looking. But Sebastian was worried too, for the same reasons as Sophia.

When dinner came, they remained silent. Sebastian realized, not for the first time, he disliked that Sophia had picked up her mother's telepathic ability. The idea that the two were probably carrying on a conversation without his having any clue drove him more than a bit mad. But he said nothing, just continued to watch them exchange a few heated looks. After they had eaten, Sebastian gave the two one last look, then went to his office.

.Sophia took some sliced strawberries out of the ice box, placing them in a bowl, setting it between them. She started to sit back down in her own chair, but the Metacrisis calmly pulled Sophia up out of her chair, sat down and pulled her back down onto his lap.

"What are you doing?!" Sophia squeaked, trying to suppress a giggle.

_'Repaying you for this morning,'_ he answered, wriggling his eyebrows at her. _'Close your eyes.'_

"And what did I do this morning that needs repaying?" she raised an eyebrow, but acquiesced.

_'You cared enough to ask questions. And you asked them kindly, with no ill intent.'_ He picked up a strawberry and touched it to her lips.

_'I was scared and alone, and you stayed with me, watched over me.' _ Taking a strawberry slice, now he traced the curve of her lower lip with the fruit. She took the slice of fruit, and the tips of his fingers, into her mouth, sucking lightly. The Doctor laced his fingers in Sophia's hair, brushing it away from her ear, which he now noticed came to a point like an elf's. He leaned his head in, as if to whisper to her.

_'You saved me, broke my chains. And I owe you some explanations. I want you to know who I am, my Angel.' _He took another piece of fruit and held it between his teeth, bringing it close to Sophia and looked at her with lust filled eyes. She took the fruit from his mouth into her own, sucking on his lower lip gently before pulling back to respond.

"Save your explanations and your strength, Sati." Sophia covered her mouth with both hands and stood up, backing away from the Metacrisis. "I'm sorry! I didn't…" She shook her head slowly, eyes closed tight. She wanted to tell him she didn't mean to call him that, but she knew it would be a lie. Their game had gone too far. "I should not have called you that." _'Not mine.'_

_'You mean me, don't you?' _He approached her, reaching his hand out to cup her cheek_. 'Sophia, my Angel, do you…Tell me what you want. '_

"Doesn't matter what I want." Sophia swallowed the lump in her throat and the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "After tomorrow, my father will put his focus into locating a ship to take you home, and you'll leave me." She turned away from him to hide the pain in her eyes. Looking at him suddenly hurt. "Listen to me…I must sound ridiculous to you. It's been a day. One faughing day since my father brought you here and I'm ready to just…" She threw her arm out, vaguely pointing in the direction of her bedroom. "I sound ridiculous to me!"

The Doctor spun Sophia around to look at him again, cupping her face in both his hands. _'I can't…go home. I'm trapped here now. Even if there's a version of my home in this universe, it still isn't _my_ home. If I'm stuck here, I can't think of anyone else in this universe I'd rather be stuck with.' _He shook his head slightly as if to clear it. _'Now who sounds ridiculous?'_

Flashes of his creator's memories flood his mind. _'Stuck with you? That's not so bad.'_

"Maybe we both do." She couldn't help the small smile that spread across her lips. "But I'm worried. I said you have nothing to fear from me or my father, and from us, you don't. But there are others, as I said, that might try to hurt you, just to get to us. As much as I want you here with me, I want you safe more. Even if it hurts."

He tried to argue, but she wouldn't hear it. After dinner, Sophia drew a bath for the Doctor, then busied herself with washing the dishes from dinner. With their link, she didn't need to stand in the room, and thought it best if she didn't anyway. It was far too tempting to join him. She didn't hear him come back into the kitchen when he had finished, nearly jumping when he touched her arm.

_'Sorry, I…Can…can I kiss you?'_ He took her hands in his, looking at her with hopeful eyes. She looked up at him for a long moment, somewhat surprised that he actually asked her. The Metacrisis took her long silence to mean she would not permit his kiss and started to back away, letting go of her hands. But at the last second, Sophia pulled him back towards her, resting her hands on his chest, feeling the lithe muscles beneath his skin. She lifted her head toward him, her lips parted slightly, and lost herself in the feel of him.

_'Yes. Please, Sati.'_ He lowered his lips to hers in a tender, if chaste caress. They locked eyes when they broke apart and came together again in a more intense kiss. Tongues, teeth and lips clashed; imperfect, passionate and needy. She moaned her pleasure into his mouth as her fingernails scraped lightly over his chest, catching his nipples and making him arc into her. His hands gripped her hips and lifted her onto the counter, easing himself between her legs. They broke apart again, panting as she laced her fingers of both hands into his hair, pulling his head down to press her forehead to his.

_'Slowly, Sati. We should take this slowly.'_ The Metacrisis nodded his agreement to wait and kissed her on her forehead and again on her lips before helping her down off the counter. If he thought she would have let him, he would have kissed her over her left breast, above her heart.

_Mind, body, soul/heart_

_'Good night, my Angel.' _He turned and headed for the bedroom she had been allowing him to sleep in and she watched him go. Sophia finished up the dishes and took her own bath before turning in herself, taking her spot on the chair next to the bed as she had the night before. The Doctor was already asleep when she settled in, almost asleep herself when she saw him move suddenly in his sleep. She knew his nightmares returned through their link, hearing him scream, begging for it to stop in her mind.

Sophia tentatively climbed into the bed beside him, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him to her. Almost instantly he calmed, turning toward her and throwing an arm around her. His dreams calming and falling into a more peaceful sleep as she brushed his hair back away from his face. She kissed his temple tenderly. It wouldn't hurt if she stayed, just to make sure the nightmares didn't return.

_'Ier varna sii, Sati. Amin sinome_ _.' _She prayed to her goddess and her mother's spirit that she would be allowed to keep him at her side.


	4. Chapter 4

(The Doctor & Rose)

"Where did you land us now?!" Donna asked the Doctor, narrowing her eyes and poking him in the chest.

"What? How…this can't be possible!" The Doctor turned back to the TARDIS and ran inside to the control console. Grabbing the monitor, he punched in a code, staring at the screen displaying the results in circular Gallifreyan. He fell back into the jump seat. "No…it can't be. Not again…"

"Doctor? What's wrong? Tell me what's wrong." Donna sounded more and more panicked with each passing second.

The Doctor looked up at Donna. "We've fallen through another crack in reality. Found another parallel universe. But…how? All the walls should have been sealed by now." He scrubbed both hands down his face as he looked back at the display, trying to understand what had happened and why.

"Where's Rose and John?" Donna's voice tore through his thoughts again.

The Doctor looked frantically around the console room. "Rose?" he called. Pushing himself off the jump seat, he ran down the ramp and back outside, where he found her standing perfectly still a few feet from the TARDIS. John sat on the ground at her feet looking toward the town in the distance. He picked John up.

"Rose?" he whispered her name, resting a hand on her shoulder. She turned toward the sound of his voice and he saw her eyes glowing gold for a couple minutes.

Rose smiled at the Doctor. "S'alright. She made it safe for me. Well, you helped too, taking most of it out of me all those years ago. 'Cept for that little bit that refused to leave. But…he's here," Rose nodded her head toward the city in the distance. "That's why She brought us here, to find him. I remember, I…we created him. After you siphoned off your regeneration energy, and we left the TARDIS…onto the Crucible…I tripped. Remember? I accidently touched the container. Instantaneous Biological Metacrisis…He must have fallen through a crack and it brought him here."

"Rose, what are you talking about? _Who_ are you talking about?!" The Doctor turned her to face him, his worried look deepening.

"Doctor, think about it. Your hand jus'…disappeared. Your hand, regeneration energy and fresh DNA… Put it together Doctor."

"No…"

"Oh, my God! There's another _you _out there!" Donna exclaimed from behind him.

"Oi! Don't say it like that!"

"But, where are we? Looks like renaissance era."

The Doctor nodded looking back toward the city. "Yeah, 1700 –ish, Earth. But it's off a bit, like there are influences that shouldn't be present yet."

"Let's go change into something more fitting, yeah?" Rose suggested as she turned back toward the Doctor and Donna. "Hopefully the dress code's not too different than our own history." She took John from the Doctor, carrying him back inside the TARDIS. "Feel like playing dress up?" she asked him playfully.

"It's late," the Doctor pointed out. "We could just stay in the TARDIS tonight, or," he grinned his manic grin at her, "were you thinking we stay at that inn I saw in town?"

Rose smiled back. "You know me so well, Doctor. Allons-y?"

"Allons-y!" The Doctor agreed.

They went back into the TARDIS toward the wardrobe room and found outfits to wear. Even the Doctor dressed up. They packed a 'bigger on the inside' pack with toys and a cot for John and a few other modern conveniences that would need to be kept hidden most of the time.

After they returned to the console room, Rose set John down to give her arms a rest. She and Donna stood waiting for the Doctor. It was unusual for both of them, normally it was the Doctor waiting on his companions. Not the other way around. John toddled over to Donna just as the Doctor bounded into the console room. Donna picked John up in an attempt to hide the fact that she was trying not to laugh. It didn't work so well and she burst with laughter. The Doctor stood just inside the console room, leaning against the corner of the entrance, legs crossed at the ankles and arms crossed over his chest, left eyebrow raised giving Donna a significant look. He was dressed in a blue-grey doublet and matching trunk hose, a loose fitting white shirt and tall black boots.

"You look ridiculous!" Donna said through her laughter.

"Oi!" the Doctor pouted and looked to Rose to restore his dignity.

Rose turned to look at the Doctor and whistled low, though she too was trying not to laugh. Pressing her lips together she pointed at him, waving her finger up and down his form. "Sexy."

"Thank you. I am, aren't I?" he asked, ignoring the amusement in her tone. He sauntered up to Rose, pulling her into his arms and kissed her softly.

"Deeesgusting!" John exclaimed at the sight.

"Very." Donna agreed. "Come on, let's leave those two to be disgusting for a bit, yeah?" John nodded and Donna carried him outside to wait for the Doctor and Rose.

The Doctor chuckled low in Rose's ear after Donna hand taken John outside. "I plan on doing some very disgusting things to you later, Rose Tyler," he told her in a low, seductive tone. Cupping her face in both hands, he kissed her more fervently.

When they broke apart, she spoke. "We should catch up, yeah?"

"Yes, we should." He answered and offered her his hand. She took it and they went outside to find Donna still holding John and waiting for them. They walked toward the town, to the only building that still had lights in the ground floor windows. As they approached, the Doctor noticed a painted wooden sign above the door depicting a man in red and gold robes carrying a gold staff with a howling wolf at his side. It sent a shiver down his spine and a sense of foreboding washed over him. He wondered if Rose saw it too, though if she had, she hadn't said anything.

They entered the inn and were greeted by a rather beautiful woman. She was tall for a woman of that era, with angular features. Her eyes shone like sapphires and her blue-black hair was pulled back into a top-knot pony tail, displaying her pointed ears. She wore a corset that barely contained her and a skirt that hooked on one side, open nearly to the belt at her waist, showing more leg than was normally appropriate for the time period. A silver chain hung around her long neck and the smile she wore on her face seemed almost forced until her eyes fell upon John. The Doctor noted that her smile seemed sad, if a bit relieved then.

"Welcome, travelers, to The Wolf and Sorcerer," she greeted with practiced ease. "Is it a meal, room or…entertainment you seek?" She wouldn't quite meet their eyes at the last half of her question and flinched at the word 'entertainment'. The average person probably wouldn't have noticed. It was at this point the Doctor's attention returned to the silver chain around her neck that reminded him more of the kind of thing you put on an unruly dog rather than a delicate necklace far more suited for the young woman's features. The Doctor was about to open his mouth, ask who dared make her wear such a thing and what the hell was wrong with everyone else that no one had yet to do anything about it when he felt Rose squeeze his hand to remind him this wasn't their world.

"Two rooms for the night and meals, please." Rose answered the woman softly.

She smiled genuinely at Rose and nodded, disappearing behind the counter and into the back kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a tray. She set down a bowl of stew and a dark amber bottle in front of each of them, two in front of Donna and a glass of milk. As well as a small loaf of warm pumpernickel bread.

"The milk's for the boy." She said smiling sadly at John. "He's beautiful." She met John's eyes for a few seconds, then smiled a little brighter, ruffling the boy's hair. "Let me know if you need anything else." She stood upright and walked back behind the counter. They ate in silence, giving careful attention to their surroundings. Even John seemed to be observing quietly from his perch on Donna's lap. There were two other women dressed similarly to the one who now stood behind the counter with a few other patrons in the far corner of the room. The Doctor couldn't help the feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was just wrong here. When they finished eating, Rose approached the woman at the counter.

"We're ready for our rooms now…I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"My name is not important, my Lady," she inclined her head towards Rose in a respective gesture and came around the counter, reaching into the pocket at the side of her skirt. "Follow me."

"I can't exactly go around shoutin' 'Hey you' whenever I need somthin' can I?" Rose asked lightheartedly. The woman laughed a little sadly.

"Would be more than we usually get. But, alright. Gwines, my name is Gwines, my Lady."

"Rose…just, Rose is fine."

Gwines smiled. "Thank you…Rose." They reached the top of the stairs and Gwines opened two of the doors for them. They were thankfully next to each other. Donna offered to take John for the night so the Doctor and Rose could get reacquainted with each other. As he worked on setting up John's cot, the boy sat down beside his father, trying to help by handing him things.

_'Daddy? What are slaves?' _His innocent tone belied the seriousness of his question, leaving the Doctor somewhere between horrified at having to answer and proud that his boy was smart enough to ask at only two years of age. The Doctor sighed heavily.

_'A slave is someone who is, basically treated like property. They are, more often than not, bought and sold like cattle and used for a variety of things, though usually labor.'_ John's face scrunched up at the explanation.

_'Are they treated well? People take care of their property, right?'_

_'Sometimes…not…not often, but sometimes.'_

_'Is Gwines treated well, do you think?'_

_'No. She's…No, I don't think she is.'_

_'Can we buy her, Daddy? You and Mummy would be good to her. And maybe she will be happy traveling with us.'_

The Doctor opened and closed his mouth several times. How could he explain? _'We can't buy her, son. It's wrong. Would make us no better than those who have her now. And since this isn't our world, we can't really interfere either. I just don't know what we can do for her.'_

_'Oh.' _ John looked bereft. _ 'But…can we ask her? If she wants to come, I mean.'_

The Doctor smiled at John as he finished putting the cot together and hugged him. _'I'll ask in the morning, ok?'_

_'Ok!'_ John smiled, hugging his father back before going over to play with some building blocks. The Doctor watched his son play. He had been rubbish as a father before and now he worried bringing John with wasn't any better than leaving his other children behind had been. He stood up, thanked Donna for keeping the boy for the night, and then joined Rose in their room.

When the Doctor entered the room, he found Rose standing by the window. The white linen chemise she wore clung to her body, the neckline barely holding on to her shoulders. He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and kissed the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She placed a hand on his arms where they crossed over her stomach and reached behind his head with the other, lacing her fingers in his hair.

"Our son has his mother's compassion." He told her.

"I'd like to think I taught him that, yeah."

"He wants me to ask Gwines to come travel with us. How do you feel about that?"

Rose gave a small laugh. "M'not surprised he would ask that. I wouldn't bother me, if she wants to come. I know she doesn't like where she is. Ask her, if she want to come, we'll take her. At least get her out of here. I know we can't save everyone, but it's a start, yeah?" The Doctor nodded behind her.

He continued to kiss along her exposed skin; across her shoulder and back up her neck. Each press of his lips to her warm flesh becoming more desperate, soft nips soon followed as he pulled her flush against him. She could feel his erection against the small of her back and his hot breath, lips and teeth on her skin. She tried to keep focus, there were things she needed to tell him, but he was not making it easy for her. She dropped her head to his shoulder to give him better access, moaning out his name as she arched into him.

He pressed himself against her as he reached for the neckline of her chemise, fisting the fabric as he pulled it away from her shoulder, nearly ripping it. He wanted to, he realized; wanted to rip it right off her and take her wherever and however she would let him. He felt her shiver and heard her breath hitch as he finished the thought. Oh, right! The ring he had given her allowed her to pick up on his thoughts when they touched. And would become stronger once they bonded, no longer needing touch to communicate.

"Arkytior…Rose. _My Rose._ I have missed you, my love. I have missed you with an ache in both my hearts. I have missed seeing your beautiful face each morning, your teasing smile, the depth and warmth and love in your eyes when you look at me. Even when I'm being a complete git. I have missed this," he lightly squeezed her where his arm was still wrapped around her waist, "simply holding you close, feeling your warmth, your soft skin, pressed against me."

He swallowed around the lump forming in his throat. "I have missed your scent, the sound of your laughter filling the air. And the sounds you make as I make love to you in our bed. It's been cold there, without you. I don't think I've slept in it since I lost you. I avoided sleep for as long as possible. When I had to sleep, I'd always find myself at your old bedroom door. Somehow…it gave an odd kind of comfort. Being surrounded by your things, buried under your bed sheets, holding your pillow close to my chest, I could pretend you were still with me for a while." He choked out the last as a tear fell onto Rose's shoulder.

Rose turned in his arms, reaching up to wipe the tears away from his eyes, hers glassy with the threat of her own tears. She stood up on her toes to kiss him, carefully at first, as if afraid she might break his still-fragile hearts. But when he increased the pressure, swiping his tongue along the seam of her lips, she opened up to him and gave as good as she got. Her fingers worked at the buttons of his doublet and he helped her divest himself of it, wrapping his arms around her again as it fell to the floor. As their kiss became more and more fevered, Rose moved to guide the Doctor back away from the window toward a desk against a side wall, pushing him down onto it so she could remove his boots and breeches. He stayed there, leaning on his elbows and looking up at her with love and need. His hair was more disheveled than usual, the shirt he wore hung loose and the lacing at the neck had come undone, revealing some of the smattering of hair on his chest. His hearts pounded in his chest as he watched her in anticipation. For someone with a respiratory bypass, he was having a hard time breathing properly.

She hauled him back onto his feet and jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist and arms around his neck. His own arms wrapped around her for support, using the desk behind him to help keep his balance as she reached between them to align him at her entrance and sank down his length. She gave herself a moment to adjust before moving again. Two years…two excruciatingly long years since she held him in her arms. Two years since she felt his love. Two years since she said 'I love you'. Two years since that God forsaken beach. And why did her mind have to bring that up now? _Why?!_ The question screamed in her mind now as it did then. Deep down she knew it wasn't his fault, or even his choice she had been stranded in that other universe. But those unspoken questions kept coming back.

She drew up as her hands found his skin beneath his shirt, her fingernails scratching deep marks down his back as she slammed back down his length. She repeated this, over and over, taking out two years of frustration, sexual and otherwise, on him. The Doctor just stood still, his hands keeping hold of her hips and trying to keep from falling over. He didn't try to stop her, or even slow her movements. He knew if it had been him who had taken control, he'd be pounding into her just as hard. But he could hear her questions assaulting both their minds.

_'Why? Why did you leave me there? It was hell without you! Why didn't you come back for me? I needed you and you weren't there!'_

_'Arkytior…Rose, I…'_

She cut him off with a hard, rough kiss, plundering his mouth with her tongue and he gave in to her. If she needed this, to be the one in control, he'd give her that. He only wished he could quiet her fear and anger. Well, he could, but thought perhaps it was better to let her get it out, even as he felt her shudder. She broke the kiss, moving along his jawline and down his neck with more teeth than lips. The Doctor reached behind him with one hand, better bracing himself on the desk, moving with Rose, meeting her stroke for stroke with the same force and speed. His own frustrations and guilt catching up to him.

_'I tried, Arkytior sam. I tried so many times to get back to you, to bring you home. I'm sorry, sham gar'ngun, Arkytior. Rovalionn ti, forgive me.'_

She bit down on his shoulder, as she fought her tears back. Fingernails digging into his back as her inner muscles tightened around him. They came together, with their names on each other's lips. Rose's grip on the Doctor tightened, burying her face in the crook of his neck, the tears she had been holding back finally came like a flood. He carried her to the bed and tried to lay her down on it, but she refused to release her hold on him. So he lay atop her, holding himself up on his elbows and dropping soft, slow, wet kisses across her body, making love to her a second time with achingly slow movements. He kissed away her tears and confessed his love over and over and whispered his name to her. When she came apart around him, it was his real name on her lips and he wished he had told her sooner.

He cleaned them up and cuddled in next to her, holding her close and resting his chin on top of her head. She snuggled into his chest and breathed in his scent; tea and honey and time. He told her of his travels since they were separated, how he regretted the way he had treated Martha, and he told her about Donna and how he had come to truly see her as the sister he never had. She comforted him at his confession of how he had treated Martha and laughed at the stories of his antics and adventures with Donna. He pulled back from her, curling a finger under her chin to lift her head toward him and kissed her tenderly.

"Will you bond with me?" He asked her tentatively and so quietly she almost didn't hear him.

She looked at him with such love and tenderness, it nearly broke his hearts. "Soki, yamu'sati. Of course I will."

He growled low, ready to pounce on her again. Wait…did she just?!... "Arkytior?"

Her eyes and skin both glowed gold as she rolled him onto his back to straddle his lap. His hearts hammered against his chest and for the briefest moment, he had the urge to run. But he held on to her hips instead as he looked up at her in awe with a healthy dose of fear. Her hands found his skin beneath his shirt, resting them over each of his hearts and gave him her tongue-touched smile.

"You remember when I told you earlier, she made it safe for me? I meant the TARDIS. That bit of artron energy that wouldn't leave, yeah? It changed me." She paused a moment to let in sink in. She slipped her hands out from under his shirt to take his hands and placed them on her chest. When he felt two heart beats, he pulled her down to hold her close.

"I'm so sorry, Rose," he whispered.

"Why are you sorry? I'm not. I can heal faster and I can heal others, if I concentrate. I seem to be aging slower. Don't know if I can regenerate. Haven't had a cause to find out and I don't plan to anytime soon. But maybe it means I can really promise you forever. And I can understand Gallifreyan. The TARDIS' song, yeah? I can understand when she's singin'" She didn't see the smile that spread across his face or the tear that slipped from his eye.

"I love you, Rose Tyler."

"I love you too, Doctor."

_He could feel her wound tight around him, but she didn't feel quite right. He looked down at the woman in his arms to see that, in fact, she was not Rose. Yet, he held her for a moment more, taking in her features. Her eyes were closed from sleep and he smiled down at her. She might not be Rose, but the similarities were striking. This woman could pass for Rose's sister. She had a longer frame and more angular features. She quite reminded him of the woman who had greeted them downstairs in that aspect. Including the pointed ears, only this woman had dark blonde hair._

_His hand slid from her back to her hip and he could feel the heat of her through the cooler fabric she wore. She was warmer than a human, and if he had to compare her heat to anything, he'd say she felt quite like standing too close to a fire. In fact, he'd say she felt at once like a comforting hearth and a dangerous wildfire. Touching her burned, in its own way, but he couldn't seem to get enough, didn't want to let go. Eventually though, he did, slipping out of her hold and easing out of the bed to look for the oil lamp and lighting it. He gave her another look to make sure he hadn't disturbed her and went to the desk where he found some paper and pencils. He began to draw her as he saw her; bright and beautiful. His angel, his fire. It was just as he was finishing the drawing that she stirred, sitting up to address him._

_"Sati? Come back to bed, Sati," she beckoned, lifting her arms out to him, as she smiled sleepily at him. He went to her, setting the oil lamp down on the table beside the bed, blowing it out after crawling in next to her. He wrapped himself around her, resting his head on her chest, finding comfort in the sound of her heartbeat._


	5. Chapter 5

(TenII and his Mistress)

Sophia awoke, immediately aware of a weight next to her that was not her own and at least half across her. _Bollocks!_ She hadn't intended to fall asleep next to him, just calm him from his nightmares. Now he lay with a leg slung over hers and an arm across her abdomen with his head resting on her chest. She found she had her fingers laced in his hair with her other hand resting on his arm. She felt his lips languidly press against her breast and something…else against her side. She wondered if he was awake and aware of what he was doing.

Her body felt like it was on fire, certain places more than others. Her blood was boiling. What she felt at her apex now went beyond what she had experienced the night before last. If she stayed here next to the man beside her, their agreement to take things slow would be thrown out the window. But when she tried to ease out from under him, he only tightened his hold on her.

_'Satu,' _he whispered, voice sounding husky from sleep in her mind.

"Humm?" she asks, uncertain if she heard him correctly.

_'Sorry. Stay. I said stay. Please, my angel.'_

"Doctor, I don't think I should."

_'So formal this morning,'_ he teased, trying to be playful, but noted she wasn't going for it. _'What was it you called me yesterday? I kind of liked it.'_

Sophia closed her eyes and swallowed thickly, trying to remain still. "Sati."

_'What does it mean?'_ The hand he had resting on her abdomen moved slowly up along her ribcage. Fingers brushed lightly across the undersides of her breasts, thumb flicking over her already pebbled nipple. Sophia couldn't stop the moan that ripped through her throat. She ran her fingers through his hair, fingernails scratching lightly over his scalp. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn she heard him purr.

"In my mother's culture, Sati was a god. It is said, the God of Time and that he actually comes from another world. But, when he come to Estone, he met and fell in love with, an Estonian woman." Sophia mapped out his face with her index finger as she spoke.

"He tried everything to convince her to return with him to his world, but she always refused. When he finally asked her why, she told him that, though she loved him, she simply couldn't go with him. She felt herself unworthy of his love, and being the only child of her parents, she felt a responsibility to take care of her aging father. For these reasons, she would not go." Sophia paused a moment, trailing her fingers down his neck and chest, playing with the smattering of hair where her hand rested.

"However, this did not stop Sati from trying to be with her. If she would not go with him, then he would stay with her, and they were happy for years. But as time went on, he realized he would still lose her; she would still die long before he would and it killed him inside to know that." She took a breath before continuing.

"Estonians are longer-lived than humans, but we are still mortal. Without a means to make his lover immortal, it is said that Sati gave up his god-status and powers to become mortal."

His brows furrowed and he didn't move or say anything. If he was thinking anything, he kept it from her, and that made her uncomfortable. She pulled away to sit up and moved to get up from the bed.

"I'll go make breakfast." She was just about to swing her legs over the mattress to stand up when he pulled her back down and lay a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

_'You'll do no such thing. You, my angel, get breakfast in bed.' _He stood up and moved toward the door, intent on doing this for her.

"But," she started to protest.

_'No buts. You,'_ he pointed an index finger at her for emphasis, _'aren't lifting a finger today.'_ He left the room then, and headed toward the kitchen where he found Sebastian just getting up from the table. At the sink, washing dishes was a portly middle-aged woman. On the table sat quite a bit of food, mostly baked treats as well as two plates full of still warm breakfast quiche.

"Good morning, lad." Sebastian greeted. The Doctor inclined his head toward the older man.

"Will Sophia be out soon?" The Doctor shook his head as he set forks on the two plates and picked them up, nodding his head towards the direction of her room. It took Sebastian only a second to catch on.

"Ah, breakfast in bed. Excellent idea!" Sebastian found a try to put the plates on and filled a couple of glasses with juice, setting them on the tray as well.

"Listen, do a favor for me? Can you keep Sophia busy for the day? Preferably out of the house. We'll be starting to decorate in a couple of hours. I realize she knows what's going on, but I still like to think it'll be something of a surprise." The Doctor smiled brightly and nodded his agreement before taking breakfast back to Sophia's room.

He entered Sophia's room, gently kicking the door closed behind him with one foot. She wasn't waiting for him where he had left her, but when he heard the small gasp and saw quick movement out of the corner of his eye as he set the tray down, a small, knowing smirk spread across his face. As he turned to face her, his smirk disappeared, turning into a look of concern or disappointment. Sophia couldn't tell for sure. She had grabbed the underdress she had planned to wear from where she had laid it out over the chair to cover her otherwise exposed body. He walked up to her slowly, as if approaching a scared animal, gently pulling the dress out of her hands.

_'Please don't hide from me, my angel. Never from me.' _He laid the underdress back across the chair and turned back to her. Carefully, the Doctor turned Sophia by the shoulders toward the mirror leaning against the wall she was standing next to. She had turned her face away from both him and the mirror, finding sudden interest in the carpet. Gently, he brought his hand up to cup her cheek, turning her head to face the mirror. She closed her eyes tight and he could feel her tremble against him. He drew comforting circles across her abdomen, just above her navel in an attempt to calm her.

_'Open your eyes, Sophia. Look.'_ She opened her eyes, one at a time, meeting the Doctor's eyes in the mirror. The smoldering look he gave her as his eyes traveled the length of her naked form, shot fire down to her center and she feared something would break. Her resolve, most likely. She let her eyes close again in an attempt to get herself under control. Her heart was racing, body trembling again…or was it still? Her core ached, throbbing, tingly and wet with her desire. Her nipples pebbled as she felt his hot breath on her neck.

_'You're trembling. What are you so afraid of, my angel?' _Dare she say? Dare she tell him her fears and desires? Her mother's people are passionate to an extreme, and that passion extended to her, making it more difficult to keep herself from giving in to it. She let her head drop to his shoulder, burying her face in his neck, brushing her lips against his skin as she spoke.

"Sati…Manka amon ona lle yassen mela, lle yassen amin? Amin irma lle, Sati. Amin irma sinied amon, lle sahnd no' amon. Amin irma a' lee lle ove lows e' amin. Amin irma lle mela. Amin irma lle corm, lle quenant, lle dnim. Amin gorga. Gorga lle leae amon."

_'I'm not gonna leave you, Sophia. Please, believe that.' _He hadn't understood the words she spoke, but he did catch the emotion she put behind them. Fear and concern had started and ended her words with a sense that she was still afraid he would leave her. Everything in between had left him feeling a bit…warm. He needed to stop this, to stop them both or 'taking it slowly' was going to take on an entirely different meaning. He turned his head to face her and she lifted her head off his shoulder to meet him. Their lips met in soft kisses a few times, tongues lightly coming into play just before the Doctor broke the contact.

_'We should get dressed and eat, I think. Your father wishes for me to get you out of the house for a bit.' _He let go of her and turned to the chest of drawers to retrieve the clothes set on top for him. Sophia picked the underdress back up from the chair and stood to arrange it to slip over her head. When she finished arranging it around her, she looked up to find the Doctor standing starkers in front of her. They stared at each other, she taking in his deliciously naked form, much as he had hers moments before. He taking in her silhouetted behind her white, near sheer underdress. She turned away, skin turning pink as a blush crept over her. He was…impressive. He preened at her thought and found himself wondering what it was about a woman in white.

They dressed while managing to keep from getting lost in each other, and ate breakfast. The Doctor gathered their dishes and carried them back out to the kitchen and Sophia grabbed a blanket. They had both agreed to remain in the back garden rather than go into town. Neither of them relished the idea of having to put a collar and chain back on him until they had to that night. They packed a basket with bread, dried meat and a bottle of wine. They would be able to pick some fresh fruit straight from the garden.

Walking out to the gazebo he set down the blanket and basket for the moment. The Doctor looked around it, noticing that there were glass panels in the ceiling and a bench that stretched all the way around from one side of the entrance to the other and there was plenty of space on the floor. A smile spread across his face as an idea came to mind that he kept hidden. Wouldn't do to have Sophia know his plan if he intended it to be a surprise for later, would it? This is, if she still wanted him after showing her the Time War and his part in it. Not to mention he wasn't exactly sure he could show her. He might have to explain it. She eyed him suspiciously and he gave her his best innocent smile. That only seemed to make her more suspicious, but she slipped her hand into his and laced their fingers together as they walked around the garden. There were grapes and a variety of berries growing on one side of the garden; tomatoes and root vegetables growing on the other. Various herbs grew around the gazebo and two apple trees grew near the back of the garden. Flowers of all kinds grew around the house proper and anywhere else that wasn't lined with edible plants.

Walking back to the gazebo, hand in hand where the Doctor took the blanket they had brought out with them and spread it out on the grass, helping Sophia to sit before taking a seat next to her. They sat in companionable silence for several minutes, simply listening to the birds singing and watching various small wild animals fly by or run through the garden. He pulled her closer until she climbed into his lap, curling into him and resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped an arm around his back and rested her free hand on his chest. She pouted a bit when she saw he had buttoned his shirt all the way up and expertly worked to unbutton the first few to better expose his long neck. The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her as he watched her.

_'Undressing me already?'_ he teased. She blushed but didn't shy away this time.

"No, Sati. It's just…I like it this way. I like seeing you." She leaned forward and kissed his neck. He trailed his fingers lightly along the low neckline of her dress and dropping a kiss each to the tops of her breasts where they were exposed.

_'I like seeing you, too.' _ He brought his hand up to cup the back of her head and captured her lips in his as he crushed her body to his. Passion flowed between them and their kiss quickly deepened though he kept it slow and mostly gentle. Fire shot down to her core again and her grip on him tightened, moaning her impatience into his mouth as she tried to gain control of the kiss. He pulled his lips from hers, both of them breathing heavy as she took out her frustration nipping at the flesh of his jawline and neck.

_'Sophia…' _His voice was low and husky in her mind, caught somewhere between want and warning. _'Sophia, stop.' _He pushed her away enough to look her in the eyes. Before they crossed that line they were so dangerously close to, he needed to tell her of his past. The same fears that plagued his twin; that his would-be lover would run if she ever knew of his part in the Time War, plagued him as well. But unlike his twin, the Metacrisis wouldn't waste precious time waiting for the right moment, so terrified of her rejection that he was never truly with her. Not like he wanted to be. His worry was that perhaps he was doing it too soon, but he knew both of them were slipping.

Sophia pulled away from him completely and stood up, facing him with fury, feeling led on and rejected. She didn't have to say a word, because he could see the fire in her eyes and feel her desire, anger and accusations crashing down on his mind like a tidal wave. And he loved her all the more for that fire and passion. He suspected that fire and passion could have the power to bring him to his knees.

He pulled her back down, crushing her against him once again and crashed his lips to hers, kissing her harder than he had yet, silencing her even as she fought against him. The heel of her palm met his shoulder several times as she tried to push herself away, but he held fast to her, keeping his lips locked to hers and she growled in frustration against his mouth. He bucked his hips against hers as his hand found a breast flicking his thumb back and forth lightly over her nipple, eliciting an angry whimper. She had drawn her hand back to strike his shoulder again, but found herself plunging her fingers into his hair and tugging, allowing her to deepen the kiss. When she broke away, her lips were swollen and her eyes still full of fire. She was so beautiful, he thought. He rested his head on her chest and pulled her tight against him again.

_'Tamm shia ngarthu...'_ It was like a whisper in her mind and his lips brushed against her skin. He took a deep breath and felt Sophia relax only slightly as she dropped one of her hands to his back, rubbing it comfortingly.

"What is it, Sati? Tell me." She was trying to calm herself as much as him, because she could sense something was on his mind. Something he thought important. As she calmed, she felt a bit foolish for even entertaining the idea he might be leading her on. He had never closed his mind to her since opening up to each other, except for that brief moment at the gazebo. But something was bothering him now, she could feel the emotion flowing through their link.

_'It might be easier to show you.' _ He lifted his head up to look at her and brushed his fingertips over her right temple, his eyes pleading with her. She lowered herself to sit on her haunches, kissing his forehead before resting hers against his, nodding slowly. With her permission, he pressed his fingers to her temple, resting his thumb on her cheekbone and closed his eyes. She rested her hands on his thighs to help brace her and let her own eyes fall closed.

The images filling her mind were jumbled at first. A mix of past, different pasts and present. He had worn so many faces over more years than she cared to count, had so many beautiful companions over those years. She felt a pang of jealousy and then immediately felt silly for it. There was nothing to indicate that he had felt anything more than friendship towards them until the last, and her. Perhaps, maybe there had been something for a woman when he was in his eighth body, but it wasn't as strong as it was with Rose and herself. Rose…she had heard him call that name amongst the jumbled images; the version that looked like him, but younger, and so sad. Those were among the strongest emotions she felt from him.

She had seen the people who had come into his life over the years, now he was showing her places. The strongest here were of a planet. Twin suns hung low on the horizon, red grass tickled the bottom of her bare feet and the trees surrounding them had silver leaves on them. In the light of the setting suns, it looked as if they were on fire. In his mind, they stood there together, holding each other close, watching the suns set. He spoke to her in a melodic language she didn't understand, could only feel for the emotion behind them. Here he could speak and he kept his voice soft and low, just above a whisper and pointed toward a city in the distance that was nestled between two large mountains that shimmered in the dying light.

"Do you see that city there, encased in that glass dome?" he asked her. She nodded, staring in awe at it all. "That's Arcadia," he whispered into her ear as he rested his hand over her left breast to feel her heartbeat. "I grew up there, and the tallest tower in the center, that's the academy. Time Lord training begins at age eight." He refrained from telling her about the untempered schism. "And those are Solace and Solitude," he said, pointing to the twin mountains. An image of the way she had found him that morning, with his head nestled between her breasts, a similar image of his twin lying with Rose in the same position, and the way he had kissed the tops of her breasts earlier came to her. She held back a tear as she realized the significance of both gestures.

As the twin suns last light left, the scene itself became darker. The fires of war became the only illumination to see by. Everything appeared black that wasn't aflame, and screams filled the air. The Metacrisis turned his head away from the distant carnage, burying his face in Sophia's shoulder, holding her tighter and shaking his head.

"No…" he whispered against her skin. "I can't…not again." His entire body shook now and she tried to comfort him as she looked on. Strange metal creatures flew down from the sky, firing their strange weapons at the domed city until the glass shattered and the city was in ruins. It startled her, those metal creatures. She'd never seen nor heard of anything like them. Then the scene changed.

They stood now in a run-down shack. In the center of the room stood a man in leather before an intricate box with a red crystal-like button at the top. She recognized the man as one of his younger selves. Here he was older, long light brown hair had darkened and been cut short, dusted with silver-white, and had traded his gold silk and green velvet for brown leather with silver embellishments. He turned towards them but didn't seem to see them. She could see now his face was thinner, almost appearing longer. His laugh lines were deeper and lips that oddly remind her of a longbow had thinned. He took a deep breath and pushed the button down as a tear streamed from his gunmetal blue eyes down his cheek. He then turned to a blue box that stood waiting in the corner of the room and stepped inside, disappearing a moment later. Sophia wondered how she had missed the strange blue box. She didn't know what to make of it or its strange design or why he would retreat into it to begin with. But there was a strange sense of 'home' she got from him.

The scene changed again, now they stood behind the older looking man again in a large domed room. At its center was what Sophia could only assume was a control console. Were they inside that blue box, she wondered? He was staring into an odd looking glass where she could see a near-by planet. If the image was anything to go by, they were very close. A moment after, the planet exploded and Sophia realized, they were too close… Shock waves shook them violently, knocking tubes and wires from the domed ceiling and the central control console caught fire. Both versions of the Time Lord had fallen to their knees while she held herself upright by bracing herself against the wall behind her while still clutching the half-human holding onto her like a life-line. The man behind him railed at the universe that he had lived rather than perished in those shock waves. Sophia couldn't make out the words, but the emotion she felt was clear and overwhelming; rage, guilt, sorrow and regret.

She blinked her eyes open to find them both back in her garden. She reeled for a moment as her mind caught up to her surroundings, adjusting to the link being broken. The Doctor in her arms had crushed her against himself and she could feel his hot tears fall onto her skin. Her own tears slid down her cheeks as she rubbed a hand up and down his back in comfort. Once his tears subsided and his body stilled in her arms, he pulled away from her completely, refusing to look her in the eye. Sophia took his hand in hers and laced their fingers together. He didn't fight her, too exhausted from the memory and effort to share it with her and grateful, if bewildered, that she still wanted any form of contact with him. He finally looked back up at her and looked for all the world like he would burst once more into tears, making her want to wrap him up and hold him to her chest again.

_'How can you stand to touch me still?' _ It wasn't an accusation, but a genuine need to understand. Just as with Rose, he simply couldn't understand how or why this woman would still want anything to do with him after knowing what he'd done.

"What did you think I would do, Sati? Push you away? Suddenly decide you were not worth my heart? You had it from the first day, you know. You told me you were created, not born. That your origins are from the severed hand of another man who looks just like you. That your heart, at least in part, belongs to another woman. Yet I have kept you close. And you think what you have just shown me will somehow drive me away? If this is what you think, you have much to learn about me, Sati." She reached up to cup his cheek as she sent a wave of compassion and understanding while he leaned into her touch.

_'But…my home, my people…all of them…' _

"I know, Sati. I know." She pulled him back to herself, holding him close as sobs wracked his body again. "It could not have been an easy choice. Your home or the rest of the universe. I don't know that I would have had the strength to make such a choice." She squeezed him to her in a quick reassuring hug and he wrapped his arms around her.

_'Thank you. Sophia, my angel, thank you,'_ he whispered into her mind as he kissed up her neck and across her jawline until he finally captured her lips in his. _'I want you.'_ He pulled her hips into his and she felt the evidence of his desire press into her. But before she could respond, his stomach growled. Sophia broke the kiss and covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.

"I think you want something to eat," she said through her laughter.

_'Oh, funny, is it?' _he teased and reached for the hem of her dress as she stood up, lifting it over his head and tried to crawl underneath to get between her legs. She was a bit too quick though, stepping back and smoothing the skirt of her dress down before he could reach his target.

"Sati!" she admonished, his audacity making her look at him with a mixture of shock and desire. She had to admit, at least to herself, she would not have stopped him from achieving his goal, had he been more intent on it. The thought of his head between her legs and learning what he could do to her with his tongue made her wet. And then her stomach growled.

_'OK, OK, lunch it is.' _He smiled at her and got up to retrieve the basket of food he had brought out with them. After he pulled everything out, she took the basket and went to pick a couple handfuls of fruit. When she turned around to walk back over to him, the Doctor was leaning back on his elbows, giving her a seductive smile.

They fed each other, stealing and sharing kisses and each other's wine. When they finished, he chased her around the back garden just to hear her laugh and nearly took her behind the gazebo where he allowed himself to finally catch her. She told him to wait, that she would give herself to him that night after everyone had left, if he wanted. They then returned to the blanket he had laid out for them and talked. Mostly, he talked about some of his travels in the TARDIS before he was split, so to speak. And dropped a few bombshells in her lap. Such as, he was over 900 years old, or at least the other him was. This body was "technically" only a few days old. That he had been married once, and had children, and a grandchild. That, again his other self, could regenerate and change his face; even his personality would change. This him, however, couldn't. One life. With each new revelation, he worried she might run or turn him away. But she never did, giving him reassuring squeezes or peck on the cheek to show she had no intention of doing either of those things.

When Sophia noticed the sun was starting to go down, she nudged the Doctor, indicating that they should go back inside. Guests should be arriving soon and she needed to finish getting ready. It was then that she heard her father call for her to come back into the house. When she had gone inside, the Doctor worked quickly to gather up the blanket and basket. He spread the blanket out over the floor of the gazebo and, setting the bottle of wine on the bench, took the basket back into the kitchen. He then gathered pillows and cushions and carried them out to set them atop the blanket. He looked up through the glass panels to see the moon staring back down at him. Perfect.

Sophia emerged from her room with only a few minutes to spare before people would start showing up. The sides of her long hair had been twisted and pulled back behind her head and dotted with little white pearls and a simple silver tiara rested on her head. White diamond chandelier earrings adorned her ears and a matching choker brought attention to her long neck. Her make-up was light, a thin line of black kohl around her eyes, lids painted light taupe and her lips stained only a shade darker than their natural color. He stood in the archway that lead to the front of the house, staring at her with his jaw slack. He told her how beautiful she looked. Unbidden thoughts of how he was going to unwrap her like the gift she was the moment he got the chance, passed through their link and they both blushed. She took a deep breath and, reluctantly, held up the collar in her hand.

"Sorry, Sati. I wouldn't do this if I didn't have to." The Doctor nodded wordlessly and bent down to give her easier access as she slipped the collar around his neck and fastened it into place. It had a ring at the center, but there was no chain. She explained to him that the chain wasn't required, the collar alone was enough to show his status. She smoothed her hands down the front of his shirt and lifted up on her toes to bury her nose at the top where he had left it open. She breathed him in as she slowly unbuttoned the rest of his shirt to just above the hem of his trousers, laying her hands directly on his skin. She noted he smelled of sweet spices and honey. He could feel her relax at the touch of his skin and he wrapped his arms around her waist. Here she told him this was how male pleasure slaves were dressed, though really, most were made to go shirtless, even at such gatherings, but she didn't want to expose him so much. He wasn't required or even expected to speak, but obey her commands. Showing affection was allowed up to a point and those lines should be obvious. Though kissing her on the back of her hand or her wrist was acceptable. Even the occasional kiss to her cheek or shoulder was acceptable, as long as he didn't get carried away with himself. It was considered inappropriate to go any further in front of their guests. He rested his chin on the top of her head, holding her there, until the first knock at the door.

Sophia greeted her guests with her father in the great room, nobles from rival houses dressed in their formal attire, while the Doctor dutifully stood behind her awaiting instructions from her. She never really gave any, letting him roam as he pleased, though he mostly stayed close to her, keeping an eye on their guests without appearing to be doing so. There were a couple of the nobles who raised his suspicions. Truth be told, it was more than just the two. Nearly every male there looked at Sophia like she were something to be won and devoured. That was when she found him standing the closest to her, towering over her like her personal protector. More than a few of the gathered women eyed him in much the same way, making him feel just a bit uncomfortable. This was when he was most affectionate, showing them to who he belonged.

When talk turned to Sophia choosing a husband within the year, she became quite uncomfortable and felt the Doctor stiffen beside her. Despite assurances that she would be allowed to keep her 'slave' and that any children she might have by him would, of course, still be given everything a legitimate child by her future husband would have, it didn't make either of them feel any better and Sophia found herself needing fresh air to breathe.

She excused herself and went out to the back garden, making her way to the gazebo and finding the make-shift bed. She mused it must have been made from every pillow and cushion in the house. She smiled a bit, thinking that the Doctor must have put it together because the remnants of the bottle of wine they had shared at lunch sat on the bench. So he wanted to make love to her under the stars… She breathed in deep and looked up through the glass panels. The moon was approaching its zenith, it was nearly midnight and she wondered how long this thing could go on. She had never been to one herself before now, but from the various ones her father had told her about, they could last anywhere from a few hours to all night. She wanted it to be over soon.

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and the sight of familiar red silk made her relax again, leaning into him as he pulled her close. She turned in his arms and rested her hands on his bare skin, drawing comforting circles across his abdomen and looked up at him.

"Please know you're the only one I want. You're the only one I would dance for. In either sense of the word." Her eyes begged for him to understand and he nodded slowly. He bent his head down to capture her lips when he heard a familiar sound. If he was being honest with himself, he had heard the singing in his head all day, dismissing it as memory and missing his Time Ship. But that wasn't the sound that grabbed his attention now. It was the groaning, wheezing sound he knew to be his own piloting skills…or lack thereof. He whipped his head around to face the sound, watching as the TARDIS slowly materialized…


	6. Chapter 6

(The Doctor & Rose)

The Doctor woke with a start and turned to see Rose still laying asleep next to him. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding as he reached out to pull her close. The dream he'd had felt so real, he half expected to find that woman there in place of Rose. She didn't wake and he smiled a bit, though it didn't last. He wondered how long it had been since she last got any real sleep. Propping himself up on one elbow, he watched her, running his fingers affectionately through her hair, smiling again. Eventually, he let go and got up to go downstairs to get their breakfast. He was met with the same woman who had served them the night before. She smiled kindly at him, though there was still a bit of nervousness in her expression.

"What can I get for you?" she asked him as he approached the counter.

"Breakfast for four." He smiled, attempting to appear at least mostly harmless. She disappeared into the back kitchen, returning several minutes later with four plates of food and four glasses of orange juice set on a tray. The Doctor smiled at her again, this time his own nervousness showed through as he tugged at his ear.

"Um…Listen, I don't normally ask this out of the blue…Well, alright, sometimes I do…Weeelllll…." He trailed off, seemingly lost in his own thoughts while Gwines looked at him with cautious curiosity, waiting for him to finish.

"Anyway, actually, it was my son who wanted me to ask. Do you…do you want to come with us? Travel a bit? Or…maybe, we could just… take you back to your home planet…if you prefer?"

Gwines smiled sadly at the Doctor. "I'm not the one you are here for, Lord of Time." She held up her hand when he opened his mouth to say something. "Your son is quite the strong telepath for his age, and very curious. Had a lot of questions and I answered most of them." She took on a distant look for a moment. "This person you're looking for? Is he a traveler, like yourself?"

The Doctor nodded slowly, uncertain how he felt about the woman "speaking" to John without his knowing. He'd need to have a talk with the boy himself about how much to tell someone they didn't know. "Yes."

"Did he travel alone? Or did he have companions?"

"Alone."

"He might have been taken by slavers. There's a group of them that set up on the corner just down the street. Little bastards would try to sell you your own grandmother. And they have an eye for anything with a pretty face. I'd keep an eye on your women and watch out for yourself as well. You'll know them by their short stature and red skin. Locals around here call them devils because of that. Failing that, there's a noble house friendly to slaves. They work to free as many as they can, but it's far from easy." She told him where he could find the noble houses and, no, she didn't know which specific one would be helpful to him. The Doctor thanked her for the information she gave him and asked her to take the plates upstairs, and please inform Rose he would return shortly. Then he promptly left the inn and walked down the street.

When he approached the corner Gwines had pointed out, he found a small crowd gathered around a make-shift stage. Indeed, the creatures she had described stood scattered about the stage parading humans, or at least humanoid, females across the platform.

But as he drew closer, his features grew darker and more serious, with his jaw twitching and nostrils flared. He was thankful neither Rose nor their son were here to witness this or what he might have to do. His eyes became nearly black as they took on the Oncoming Storm appearance. Before even he realized what he was doing, his hands were behind his back, clasping the sonic. He walked with purpose right up the set of steps that lead to the stage. He never had been one for plans, not well thought out ones, anyway. Everyone moved to distance themselves, allowing him to pass, uncontested. The aliens appeared shocked to see him, beady black eyes wide in surprise. These "devils" as Gwines had called them recovered quickly, however, and had begun to surround the Doctor.

His eyes narrowed at them, the ones he could see, anyway. He was well aware there were at least two behind him, likely ready to pounce while he was occupied with the others in front of him. Turning would only leave his back exposed to the ones he was now facing. Fine, let them try if they were going to be foolish. But he may as well try to ask a question or two in the meantime.

"I'm looking for my brother. Twin. I'm told you're the ones to talk to. So," he intensified the Oncoming Storm and took a step closer. "Where can I find him?" He asked with a strong warning to his tone.

"Brother?" one of them managed to squeak out. "Look like you, yes?"

The Doctor let out an exasperated breath. "Yes. Exactly like me." He could feel one of them behind him moving closer, but still didn't turn. He wanted to see where this was going.

"Sold him. Noble one bought him for daughter. Too bad we not have you at time. Make more gold with twins." There was an uproar of laughter around him and his cheeks flushed. Not from embarrassment, but anger. But before he could speak, or the red skinned alien behind him could toss the lasso around him, an unexpected voice rose from the crowd.

"Stop!" It was a familiar voice, but laced with something decidedly unnatural, like a growl. A wolf's growl.

He couldn't stop himself from turning toward the sound of her voice. Rose was standing just on the other side of the small crowd that had gathered, her eyes glowing gold. Some had fled, or were fleeing, others seemed to be rooted to the spot, unable to even part for her like they had him. It didn't matter though, she moved with the grace of a predator between them until she reached the stage, stalking up the steps and positioning herself so that she could she couldn't be surrounded. The shackles on the remaining slaves popped open and fell to the stage floor. Not one slave wasted a second, a few shouting their thanks as they fled.

Rose addressed the one who had spoken last. "You can either tell him who you sold his brother to, or you can deal with me." She smiled a toothy, predatory grin at them crossing her arms and tapping a foot as she waited.

All of them backed away from her, but the one who had been talking spoke again. "We not know name, only that he noble one. But, description, yes? Tell you what he look like." He looked between the Oncoming Storm and Bad Wolf hopefully. They both nodded. Once they had gotten the description of the noble in question, Rose spoke again.

"Thank you. Now…leave this planet and do not return!" Her growl had returned, but louder and more unnatural than it had been the first time. The little red aliens gathered only what they could carry in their arms and scurried from her presence. Once they had gone from sight, Rose's eyes returned to their normal color.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" she yelled, turning to face him, slapping his arm not so playfully.

"Rose, I…" She stopped him and held up her hand, exasperation written clearly on her face.

She pointed her index finger at him, glaring with warning and disappointment. "When this is over, we're gonna have a pointed discussion on the meaning of the word 'team'."

He winced and all traces of the Oncoming Storm evaporated in the face of her anger. He tried to explain that he was only trying to protect her and John, and she couldn't help the twinge of resentment she felt. Hadn't he learned by now all his 'protecting' ever did was separate them? She wasn't about to let that happen ever again.

They walked back to the inn hand in hand, though her grip wasn't as tight as it normally was. He could feel her still tense beside him and he knew he'd truly screwed up. When would he learn? She was like the wolf protecting her life-mate, always had been with him. More so after the Game Station. _My Doctor_, she had said. She had called him hers. It was then he knew he would eventually break. That her light would eventually blind, surround and consume him. He smiled unconsciously as he thought about how their relationship had progressed since then, until the day he lost her… Now she was back, protecting him, just as she always had, and now there was John. The Mother Wolf protecting her cub. What was that human saying? The worst place to be was between a mother and her child? Oh yes! He could see that.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her as they came to the inn. "And thank you, my Wolf." He smiled at her affectionately, pulling her in for a hug. She couldn't resist him, not when he smiled at her like that.

"S'ok," she said softly as she squeezed him gently around the shoulders before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Jus', '_team_', yeah? The Doctor and Rose Tyler. The Oncoming Storm and Bad Wolf. We're supposed to do this together, yeah? Even the not so nice parts. We do it _together_."

"Together," he agreed. "I promise." Rose nodded, satisfied and they went back inside the inn.

Upon entering, they found Gwines and Donna playing a game of hide-and-seek with John. The inn was empty except for the five of them. Rose joined them and he watched the four of them at play. Mostly he watched Rose and John, because there was a part of him that still couldn't believe that he had not only Rose back, but now a son as well. His attention eventually turned to Donna, the sister he never had. Never had he thought he would have a family again, and if Rose was right, somewhere in this town, he had a brother of sorts. Though he wondered if it would work, having his other self in the TARDIS with him. It was a problem with past selves, a likely probability of causing paradoxes if they all stayed too long in the same timeline. This one was only half Time Lord. Would it cause the same problems? And what about Rose? It was clear she was determined to find the other him, to at least offer to bring him back to the Prime Universe. But what if the other him wanted to stay with them? What if he loved Rose? What if Rose loved the other him? What if…Oh, bollocks! He shook his head to clear it, letting out a heavy sigh. He would deal with things as they came, no sense in making himself worry beforehand.

His eyes turn to Gwines, hoping she didn't notice. She was nervous enough around him, he didn't wish to give her any more of a reason to shy away from him. There was something familiar about her, however, that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He was being thick, he knew it as he looked the woman's features over yet again. Six foot tall, angular features, pointed ears and gorgeous, if odd, colored eyes…It was right there on the tip of his tongue. He had seen her race before, visited their planet even. It's where he had gotten the metal to make the ring he had given Rose. The only other planet besides Gallifrey that particular metal could be found.

"Estonian…" He thought he had said it under his breath, but when Gwines stopped dead in her tracks, inadvertently making John run into her legs, he realized he had said it aloud. For the first time since they had arrived the night before, Gwines locked eyes with the Doctor. He looked away first, almost flinching under the darkened, stormy glare of her blue eyes.

"Any luck finding the location of your brother?" she asked with more softness in her voice then her eyes would suggest she felt. Whatever storm was brewing in her, she was keeping it to herself. John looked between Gwines and his father, uncertain if he should stay by her or go to the Doctor, wondering who might need to be comforted more. For now he wouldn't pry into either's thoughts and decided to stay where he was. Rose and Donna had also turned their attention to the exchange, noting the sudden tension in the air.

"Sort of, though not as much as I had hoped. They don't know the name of the noble they sold him to. The one you mentioned? You're certain you can't give me any more details? Anything that might help? A name, perhaps?"

Gwines let out a breath. She shouldn't let her anger and bitterness surrounding the Time War and the loss of her family affect her judgment of a man she didn't even know. A Time Lord he might be, but if all accounts were correct, the fact that he was here at all meant he was the last. And not only the last Time Lord, but the last _Gallifreyan_. Him and his brother. She wouldn't be so cruel as to not help him find his brother.

"Blackmore. The noble's house name is Blackmore. If what I've been hearing over the last couple of days is anything to go on, there will be a celebration at his home tonight, for his daughter's coming of age. You might be able to get more details from the baker and his wife, they are often hired by nobles for such celebrations."

"Thank you, Gwines." His were eyes soft, trying to convey his sincerity. She nodded, but gave no verbal response, turning on her heel and disappearing into the back kitchen again. The look in the woman's eyes just before turned she away, sent a shiver of regret through him. His own eyes slid closed at the memory brought forth by the look Gwines had given him.

The last time a woman looked at him like that, she was about to die. It was during the Time War. She was a young captain of a small war ship and her name was Cass. He had noticed her ship heading on a crash course toward a nearby planet and landed the TARDIS just outside the cock-pit. She had been trying to right her ship long after she had sent the rest of her crew away in escape pods. She was brave, staring down her death like a Valkyrie. He had vowed that if they survived the crash, he would ask her to be his companion. He had thought he had convinced her to go with him, at least as far as getting off her crashing ship to someplace safe, but she shut him out of the cockpit at the last second.

_'Dalek, Time Lord, what's the difference anymore?'_

She looked at him with the same disdain, anger and hate Gwines had. Her words had stung him and it was a turning point. He saw, admittedly not for the first time, just how bad things had gotten. The lengths Rassilon was willing to go to win. It didn't matter to him who got in the way or who he saved other than himself and Gallifrey. No care for any of the other planets involved, friend or foe. It didn't matter how many died, so long as he was the winner. The Time Lord Victorious! Another shiver went through him at the words he had used himself after Bowie Base One. Oh, how he had paid for that. Gwines, he thought, must also be a survivor of the Time War.

"Oi, you alright, Spaceman?" Donna's concerned tone pulled him out of his musings and memories. She and John were standing beside him and he could feel John's questioning mind brushing against his. He noted Rose was not in the room and was about to ask where she had gone, when more unbidden memories flooded him.

It came in flashes, first at the abandoned shack he had found, where he set off The Moment. The cursed weapon he had used to destroy his beloved home. Then aboard his TARDIS, were he watched and waited for said destruction, wishing for his own death as well. It never came. He was vaguely aware of the presence of another, lost in his own grief. But as his eyes cleared, he saw her, looking up from his kneeling position. It was the woman from his dream last night. He wanted to ask her who she was and why she kept coming to him like this, but it seemed he wasn't in control of his own body here, as he had instead wrapped himself around her legs as the tears continued to stream down his face as she comforted him.

The scene changed on him in an unsuspected way. Rather than seeing himself regenerate into his ninth self, he opened his eyes to see the same woman sitting before him in a garden. She held him close, still making efforts to comfort him until he at last pulled himself away from her and couldn't bring himself to look at her.

_'How can you stand to touch me still?'_

_'What did you think I would do, Sati?' _she asked, a hint of hurt in her tone. _'Push you away? Suddenly decide you were not worthy of my heart? You had it from the first day, you know. You told me you were created, not born. That your origins are from the severed hand of a man who looks just like you. That your heart, at least in part, belongs to another woman. Yet I have kept you close. And you think what you have just shown me will somehow drive me away? If this is what you think, Sati, you have much to learn about me.' _She reached up to cup his cheek and he leaned into it.

Sati? That was a name almost forgotten. A name that was not his. That name belonged to another Time Lord, one of the first to travel through different dimensions, different universes and one of the minds behind the development and basic design of the TARDIS. Supposedly, Sati was only slightly younger than Rassilon himself and had a wanderer's spirit. He never returned from one of his trips to an alternate universe, after which such explorations were banned. Was this the universe to which he was lost? And even if so, why was this woman calling him by that name? Better yet, what exactly was she talking about? Had she seen the vision of the Time War too?

_But…my home, my people…all of them… _His throat threatened to close even as he spoke, heartbeat racing as she started to pull him close to her. Wait…_heart?_ As in singular?! What?! The shock of it brought him out of the vision, but not before he got a better look at his surroundings. If he had to guess, he was in the back garden of one of the noble houses Gwines had told him of. And this wasn't some vision of his future, nor was the "dream" he'd had last night. Oh, he was being thick. Again.

His eyes came back into focus, Rose and John sat on his right, Donna at his left. Even Gwines stood at his feet, concern on her face. The Doctor pulled Rose, John and Donna into a hug as best he could, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Gwines, what time would you say that party would start?" he asked her.

"I would guess about eight o'clock tonight. Why?"

The Doctor smiled. "I think I have a better idea where to look now." He let go of the three most important people in his life and stood up, looking at Gwines.

"That offer still stands. I can take you back to Estone, once we've got my brother back. If you want."

Gwines straightened, eyes flashing with emotions; hope, fear, relief and caution. She looked on him now with more kindness then she had before, but there was still reservation toward him. Maybe it wasn't all directed at him. If she was a survivor of the Time War like he thought, she might simply be apprehensive about returning home. She nodded slowly.

"Alright, Time Lord. I accept your offer."

He gave his wide, manic grin to the room at large. "Allons-y!"

Gwines turned back to the kitchen to put out the hearth fire while Donna ran upstairs to grab their "bigger on the inside" bag of belongings and met back in the main room. Donna pulled a hooded cloak out of the bag and handed it to Gwines, who quickly put it on. Rose picked John up and the five of them left the inn for the TARDIS. It wasn't a long walk, but they kept out of sight as much as possible, to keep Gwines from being discovered. Her heart was still racing, though and held the edges of the cloak close. She kept her head down, though her eyes had been vigilant. She had never snuck out before…from anywhere. And when she came here as a slave for the inn's owner, she had maintained that illusion to keep him from being suspicious of her helping other slaves escape. Sacrificing her own freedom for others.

Once at the TARDIS, everyone ran inside, the Doctor heading straight for the center console. Gwines stopped just inside the doorway, looking about with wide eyes, mouth hanging open in shock. She stepped back out, looking at the strange, impossible blue box, bewildered. Space ships she understood. Space ships had long existed in her world. But this…this was, well, _impossible_… Rose took hold of the other woman's arm, pulling her back inside as the dematerializing sequence began.

Gwines stammered a moment. "It's…it's…"

"Bigger on the inside." Rose, Donna and Gwines said in unison, Rose and Donna nodding their heads knowingly.

The Doctor couldn't help the amused smile spreading across his face as he typed away at the keyboard in front of him. He had set the TARDIS high in the planet's atmosphere, using the sun to hide while he scanned the city. Slowly zeroing in on a section with some of the larger houses, he found one that matched the one from his vision. His scrutinizing eyes detected two figures in the back garden. Curiosity got the better of him and he zeroed in even further, catching a glimpse of who they were. His eyes widened at the sight. He saw…himself…the Metacrisis, he concluded, was rather playfully, and happily feeding a woman fresh fruits and stealing kisses and sips of her wine. He found himself having mixed feelings about what he was witnessing. A part of him was angry; how could any version of himself be with anyone other than Rose? But that train of thought led to jealousy. Jealousy and not just a bit…aroused? _That_ was different. There was a bit of guilt, too. Guilt for considering leaving him here and guilt for potentially taking him from his obvious happiness. He let out a harsh breath. He knew Rose would at least want to give the other him a choice, and knew that Donna would back her up. What chance did he have against not only those two, but Gwines as well?

With another huff, the Doctor set the coordinates to land the TARDIS within the back garden of the proper noble house, but the Time Ship seemed to protest briefly. When she at last landed, he noted from the monitor it was now dark out. To what purpose, he wondered. He made his way down the ramp to the doors, Rose not far behind him and stepped out.


	7. Chapter 7

Sophia followed the Metacrisis' gaze, watching the blue box from the vision he had shown her earlier materialize before her eyes. That blue box held all her hopes and fears for him. It meant he could go home, but it also meant he would indeed leave her.

Return to the love he was meant to be with.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and looked out across the garden, finding his own eyes staring back at him. A swirl of emotions rendered them both speechless for the moment. Fear and hope warred within each of them. Anger joined the mix when the Doctor in brown noticed the slave collar at the Metacrisis' neck. The sight of the storm brewing in the Doctor's eyes almost made Sophia flinch.

She stepped towards her Doctor, whose arms wrapped around her instinctively. Though her own arms wrapped around his neck, Sophia did not return his embrace.

Sophia unlatched the collar, pulling it from around his neck and stepping back as she fought off tears. Her actions made the Metacrisis snap his gaze over to her, breaking eye contact with the Doctor. The significance of her actions were not lost on him, nor did he miss the glassy appearance of her absinthe eyes. Shaking his head in disbelief, he tried to reach out to her with his mind as well as his hand, but she slammed closed all doors to their link, taking another step backward.

"I should have known better than to think I could keep you. Go home, Sati," she whispered in a low, shaky voice only he could hear. _At least,_ she thought bitterly, _you're leaving before we gave into each other fully. Maybe it will hurt less this way._ But she knew that she was lying to herself.

The Metacrisis tried again to reach for her, physically and mentally. She couldn't mean to send him away, could she?

Sophia swallowed around the lump in her throat, pushing it down and hardening her eyes. She was going to hate herself for what she was about to do, but she had to make him understand. He didn't belong here with her. She knew that from the first day, yet she had dared to hope. Now that his twin was here with their strange blue box, she had to let him go.

"Go!" she yelled, even as her voice, and her heart, broke. "I don't want you here!" She spun on her heel, turning her back to him so she wouldn't see the hurt in his eyes. In truth, all she wanted to do was fall to her knees and beg him to stay.

The Metacrisis looked for all the world like a kicked puppy. He stopped his reach just short of coming into contact with her shoulder, about to give in. He steeled himself then, reached for her with both hands and turned her back to face him. He wasn't going without a fight. But with no means to speak verbally, or mentally since she blocked their link, there was only one thing he could think of to do.

Pulling her body flush to his own, his mouth crashed against hers, hard, desperate and demanding. His heart was pounding in his chest, he could hear it so loud in his own ears that it drowned out the roar of cicadas buzzing in the trees. He had caught her off-guard and her lips were slightly parted. Maybe it was wrong, and maybe it showed just how desperate he was, but he thrust his tongue into her mouth, stroking along hers in an attempt to coax her into a response; trying to convey everything he couldn't say.

_Please don't send me away. I don't want to go without you. Come with me?_

Sophia stood rigid in his arms, her mind fighting both her heart and her body. She curled her hands into fists, fingernails digging into her palms as she tried to keep from plunging her fingers into the silky stands of his hair as he kissed her. Fire shot straight to her core when his tongue slipped past her lips, stroking against hers. She could feel the desperation in it, in the way he held her, like he wouldn't let go. Like she was his only lifeline. Like they were drowning and the only thing that might save them is to breathe their lives into each other. She didn't know how long she could keep fighting it.

Twice she almost gave in, came close to pressing her own body closer to his, letting her tongue and mouth move against his. It was infuriating the way her body wantonly reacted to his. Her knees grew weak and she squeezed her eyes closed tighter as the last of the fight flowed out of her.

It was then that he finally pulled away, giving up his own fight.

He searched her eyes for any signs that she had changed her mind. Somehow she managed to stay upright, keeping her eyes hardened as she redirected the fire of passion and desire into anger. It was anger at herself rather than him, but he didn't need to know that.

With her heart about to burst out of her chest, Sophia schooled her features. Brows furrowed and lips formed into a tight, thin line, she stood to her full height and pointed rigidly in the direction of the TARDIS. She did not speak as she did not yet trust her voice.

The Doctor in brown looked on, eyes flitting between his twin and Sophia, as if watching two trains about to collide. Nothing good could come of it, and he was powerless to stop it, unable to look away. He realized this could have been him and Rose, in reverse, had they known about the Metacrisis after taking the Earth back from the Medusa Cascade. And if he knew Rose, she would expect him to fix it somehow. Just how was he even supposed to attempt that?

The Metacrisis Doctor's shoulders slumped in defeat, eyes cast downward as he turned and skulked toward the TARDIS, exchanging a look with his twin, begged him silently to do something. _Anything._

The original Doctor's gaze followed the Metacrisis until he stopped at the TARDIS door, pausing to share an embrace with Rose that said more than any words ever could before disappearing inside. The Doctor moved carefully toward the gazebo where Sophia still stood, watching her carefully.

Sophia continued to stand still as a statue. Alabaster skin trembled ever so slightly under an ethereal white dress. Her eyes were closed tight, but he noted moisture gathering beneath her lashes and her lower lip danced delicately to a somber song only she could hear. If it weren't for her honey-blonde color of her hair, the Doctor would have thought her to be a Weeping Angel.

The Doctor stepped inside the gazebo, still uncertain what he could possibly say to her, when she opened her eyes. He understood that look all too well. The pain, sacrifice, and love behind her absinthe green eyes. He had seen it reflected back in the mirror for so long in his own eyes since he lost Rose on that fateful day, two years ago. He was pulled from his reverie when Sophia spoke.

"You have taken back your avatar, Sati, and nearly everyone else that I love. What more could you want of me?" Her voice was broken, but her tone firm.

Her question wasn't exactly accusatory…_exactly_…But it left him with a sense of guilt. He wasn't who she thought he was, however, and he needed to help her understand that they weren't the same person. He only hoped she would believe him. He took a step closer, watching her reaction carefully. Sophia held her ground, neither stepping back nor forward toward him.

"I'm not…I'm not a god. Nor am I Sati. She was a Time Lady, though in my universe, she was worshiped as a goddess on Earth in ancient times. She must have regenerated into a man after crossing the void. It's rare, but not unheard of…"

"But, that's not…How is that even possible?!"

He looked to Rose, who gave him a small nod of encouragement. There was only one thing he could think of to say; to offer her to come with. She clearly loved his twin. But before he got the chance to open his mouth to speak, a muffled scream came from the direction of the house. An elderly woman ran out into the garden a moment later, calling for Sophia to come back inside, that her father needed her.

"No…not him too…you wouldn't…" She shot him a grief stricken look and spoke in a low tone, this time it was accusatory. The Doctor realized at this that she truly did not believe him.

Sophia rushed past him toward the house and he followed close behind her, taking his sonic out of his jacket pocket…just in case. They followed the old woman back into the house and to the great room to find an elderly man with shoulder length grey hair, wearing a black and silver dress robe lying flat on his back in the middle of the room. The goblet he had been drinking from lay next to him. Sophia's father, the Doctor assumed. Everyone else had stepped back when Sophia had entered the room, allowing her to reach her father unhindered. Sophia rushed to her father's side, kneeling beside him.

The Doctor knelt down on the other side of Sebastian, feeling for a pulse. He looked up at Sophia with apologetic eyes.

"I'm so, so sorry," he said with a slight shake of his head as he passed the sonic over Sebastian's body. Once the scan was done, the Doctor looked at the small display on the sonic and his brows furrowed in anger. "He's been poisoned."

The tears she had been holding back now spilled over and Sophia covered her mouth with her hand. She didn't dare try to speak. Was it not enough she had given up her love? What had she done to deserve losing everyone she loved? And what would he do with her now? A part of her feared for her life, scared that she may be next. Or worse, be left to remain here all alone. As a cry of grief ripped from her throat, arms wrapped around her in a comforting embrace. Sophia turned toward the familiar feel of the Metacrisis. She retreated into herself, huddling up so small that she almost seemed to disappear into him. Perhaps, she wanted to.

The Metacrisis Doctor cradled Sophia in his arms, lips pressed lightly to the top of her head. An exchange of looks with his twin told him that Sophia's father was not with them anymore. He slid an arm under Sophia's legs while keeping the other at her back, lifting her up as he stood and carrying her to the TARDIS. He would let his twin deal with those responsible for Sebastian's death.

Aboard the TARDIS, the Metacrisis silently asked the Time Ship to create a room for Sophia. Sweeping past Donna and John, he carried her down the corridor to an open door and into the room. It was a room to rival his…well, his twin's. At the far wall stood a four poster, king size bed. Most of the furniture appeared to be made of cherry wood; the bed frame, dresser, cupboard, desk, vanity and two end tables. A stone fire place adorned the wall opposite the bed with a cherry wood mantle. The mantle had carvings along the front. Another door close to the entrance led to an ensuite. The walls were painted a deep shade of red embossed with gold vines and leaves, and the soft carpet under his feet was a slightly darker red then the walls.

A fire ignited in the hearth as he walked with her still in his arms toward the bed. He lay her atop red and gold silk sheets and duvet, curling in next to her. He rocked her gently and wiped away her tears until she fell asleep as the TARDIS sang to her in her mind.

"Forgive me, Sati," she whispered as she drifted into the darkness of sleep.

He waited for her breathing to even out, for the sound of her soft snores before carefully removing her jewelry and shoes and slipping out of the bed. He set the jewelry on the night stand next to her and her shoes on the floor next to the bed in case she woke before he got back.

She would be safe here.

Quietly, he left the room and turned down the corridor toward the infirmary. Here he found his twin, Rose, Donna and a woman he didn't recognize standing around one of the exam tables. He stepped further in, making his way toward Donna, when something brushed against his mind. It wasn't his twin, though he could feel him now as with Sophia. She had finally reopened her mind to him before she fell asleep. Nor was it the TARDIS. This was new. It felt like a butterfly kiss across his mind with a hint of curiosity. His heart leaped when he was met with his own eyes. The small being sitting on the exam table took his breath away. The Half-Human Doctor opened his mind and was flooded with a child's love and curiosity. He let the child explore; there really wasn't much to see if you didn't count the shared memories with his full Time Lord twin.

The Metacrisis mentally reached out for the child, gently probing his mind. He was immediately hit with the knowledge that the boy, John, was his son. With a look of complete surprise, the Metacrisis looked between the Doctor and Rose as if looking for some explanation.

The Doctor in brown only smiled like a proud father. However, the smile faded when he noticed the scar on his twin's throat. He motioned for his other self to sit on the exam table as Rose picked up his (their?) son. Oh, this was going to get confusing fast! He shook his head to clear it and reset the monitor on the wall above the table.

John reached for his Metacrisis father as he approached the exam table, wrapping a tiny hand around his finger. The Doctor in blue brushed his thumb over John's fingers and pressed their foreheads together.

_'How am I going to explain you to Sophia? She'll like you though and I think you'll like her too. I just wish you could have met her father.'_

_'It's ok, daddy. She loves you like mummy does, she'll understand. And I think I'll love her,' _came John's answer and mentally wrapped him in a hug before letting go of his finger so he could go to the exam table.

The Doctor in brown watched the exchange between his son and twin, at once happy and worried. He tamped the worry down, telling himself he was being ridiculous for feeling so. He had his family. His twin was an addition to that family, not someone who would take it away.

Once the Metacrisis lay down, a low intensity beam of light swept over the Metacrisis' body and several images appeared on the monitor a couple seconds later. All his vital signs were displayed; heart, pulse, brain waves, body temperature & blood pressure as well as bone structure, muscle tissue and nervous system.

The Doctor pulled his glasses out from the breast pocket of his suit jacket and slipped them on, looking over the display. His brows furrowed, noticing the severed vocal cords.

"I can fix your vocal cords, if you want." The Doctor told his twin with concern.

"Yes!" came John's excitedly knowing response

Both Doctors looked up at John, surprised, but then smiled. With the Metacrisis' nod of agreement, the Doctor in brown began to gather equipment and handed his twin a medical dressing gown to change into. The Metacrisis changed quickly, hopped back up on the table to lie down. The Doctor spread a sheet over his twin from the waist down before grabbing something off the small metal try next to him. It looked a bit like one of those futuristic hypo-sprays from Star Trek. Sometimes those crazy science fiction writers got it right. The Doctor placed the device against the Metacrisis' neck and pushed a button. It only took a few seconds before the Metacrisis' eyes grew heavy and vision to blur before finally slipping into a dreamless sleep.

Sophia woke alone and in a room she didn't recognize. Slowly, she sat up as she surveyed her surroundings as memories of the day's events came rushing back to her. She remembered sending the Metacrisis away and the way he kissed her to convince her not to. Her fingers brushed along her lips automatically at the memory. Then she remembered her father's death. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes, but she held herself together. First she needed to find out where she was and if she was safe. Then find out where her father was and see to his last rites.

Panic took over briefly, as she considered that she might be here as a prisoner. What if she was locked in this room with no way out? Sophia began searching for something to use as a weapon, in case she was locked in and her captor came to "visit" her. There was a candle stick on one of the night stands next to the bed she picked up, though, she kept feeling a sense of calming and not needing such a weapon coming from somewhere in the back of her mind she couldn't quite place. The candle stick firmly in hand, she took a look around the room.

It was large, larger than her own bedroom at home. Nor was it her father's bedroom. Not that she remembered going there, nor did she think her Doctor knew where it was. And why would he have carried her there, anyway? So where was she, she wondered? She could explore later.

There was nothing left to do but to try the doors. There was one straight ahead of her and another off to the side. She decided to try the one off to the side first since it was technically closer. She was taken aback when she opened the door. Given its proximity to the other door, she didn't think the room she found would be as big as it was. Then she took in the room itself. There wasn't much color to it, all grey marble, silver and glass, but it was beautiful regardless. The sink and toilet, she thought it was a toilet from its general shape, were plain white rather than marble. Porcelain, she thought. The bathtub, however, seemed to be the central point of the room and sat on a dais and made from the same grey marble as the floor. Three steps lead up to it and it was surrounded by frosted glass with a small silver knob on the side facing her.

Sophia left this room and took the few steps to the only other door in the room. She opened it to find it led into a hallway. Corridor was more like it, really. The walls had a warm orange-brown color with little round things all along them from the metal grating floor to the domed ceiling. Absentmindedly, she ran a hand along one of the walls, finding that it gave her an odd sense of comfort. She also got a feeling of acceptance and the sound of a female voice singing in her mind. There was also a niggling in the back of her mind of being led somewhere. Cautiously, she followed the feeling and found herself in a kitchen.

She found one other occupant within, looking up at the ceiling with an exasperated expression. He looked over at her when she entered the room. He wore an unreadable expression now, like he wasn't sure what to do or say.

"Sati…" Sophia's throat constricted as she tried to speak. She felt the pick of tears behind her eyes as she averted her gaze to the floor. Anger and fear warred within her. She tried to take calming breaths, only realizing it wasn't really working as tears spilled from her eyes.

Through the haze of her tears, she saw him moving closer to her. A part of her wanted to run, another part wanted to rail against him. What right did he have to take all that she loved and then keep her waiting for an uncertain end? He was a god, she reminded herself, that's what right he had. She couldn't run, her body shaking too badly to move. Railing against him, she decided, wouldn't be the best of ideas either. As fear overtook anger, Sophia felt her body slump toward the floor, falling into a mess of bonelessness and tears.

The Doctor looked over at Sophia with concern. He was about to ask her if she was alright when he noticed her beginning to panic. He moved, perhaps a bit too swiftly, toward her but stopped just out of arms reach when he saw tears spill from her eyes and her body beginning to shake. She had called him Sati again, and he could see how angry and terrified she must have been at him, of him, if she still believed he was the god she thought he was. It was going to take some convincing to get her to see he wasn't. And when her knees gave out from under her, the Doctor reacted automatically, catching her from under her arms and pulling her against himself to better support her weight.

His arms wrapped tightly around her, one hand resting between her shoulder blades. His other hand pressed lightly against the small of her back where he absently drew comforting circles. He rested his chin on top of her head as he felt her hot tears soak into his oxford. He lowered his head closer to her ear and sang her a song he remembered his mother singing to him when he was scared as a child.

At first, she was only vaguely aware of two hearts pounding against her cheek. Of cool hands through the thin fabric of her dress. Of an ancient song being whispered in her ear…

As her tears slowly subsided, she became more aware of him. Different, yet so familiar. Except for his twin hearts and cooler skin, he felt just like _her_ Doctor. Two hearts… had he taken his avatar back into himself? Is that why he was being so gentle with her now? But it still didn't explain why he had taken her family. Unless…unless he wanted her all to himself, without fear of having to share her with anyone. But what of the other woman? Were all gods so fickle? Or did he intend to keep them both, one for each side of his personality?

Sophia brought her hands up from her side to grip the lapels of his jacket to help get her feet back under her. She turned her head toward him, lightly pressing a kiss to his cheek as her trembling fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt. The Doctor froze, ceasing his song, but he didn't let go of her. She moved, ever so slightly, to capture his lips in hers as quiet tears streamed down her cheeks. In spite of her anger and fear, she loved him. She loved him and she would endure her pain and his wrath as well as his love, if she had to. So long as she was with him.

The Doctor pulled away slowly as he broke her kiss, seemingly unwilling at first. In truth, he was. As he felt the heat of her through his layers, the memory of the dream he had the night before came back to him. But it hadn't been a dream, he reminded himself. It had been a shared memory with his twin. A memory of how she burned his skin in ways he never thought possible before Rose.

Oh, God, Rose…a wave of guilt washed over the Doctor, in spite of, or because of, the heat that coursed through him from Sophia's kiss only a few seconds ago. He was beginning to realize his twin's feeling for this woman were influencing him strongly. To a point he may not be able to simply cut out it of their connection. Nor was he entirely convinced that some of it didn't come from himself.

He let out a soft growl of lust addled frustration. Sophia's eyes went wide at the sound and something that wasn't quite fear took hold of her, uncertain if the growl he emitted was because he wanted something he felt he couldn't have or had something he didn't really want. He gently wrapped his fingers around her wrists to still her hands.

"Sophia"… his voice was low and soft, though the way he spoke her name was all at once more tender and more strained than she would have expected.

She averted her eyes then, uncertain of what to do or say.

"Where is my father?" she suddenly asked quietly, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "Will I be able to lay his body to rest?"

He couldn't look at her, but nodded. "Yes." He took a deep breath before continuing. "You burn your dead, too. I've parked the Tardis just outside a sacred grove. Gwines, an Estonian woman we picked up back on your Earth, has built a funeral pyre for you and I can help you carry your father's body out. If you want."

Sophia nodded. "Thank you." Tears were pricking behind her eyes again and gave a small smile through her unshed tears. "I…I should clean up and change. Prepare my father's body for the pyre." Sophia turned quickly and walked back to her room.

The Doctor waited for Sophia just a few paces away from her door, constantly looking down one end of the corridor or the other. Either toward his twin or his lover. Guilt washing over him again and again as his mind kept returning to the kiss Sophia had given him in the galley. Flashes of images had been coming from his twin since putting him under the anesthetic to fix his vocal cords. Some were of Rose from before the Metacrisis. Others were of Sophia and his time with her. These images form the Metacrisis mixed with his own feelings and he wasn't quite sure were one ended and the other began.

Sophia emerged from her room, dressed in black and silver. It reminded him very much of a belly dancer's costume and its revealing nature did nothing to keep his mind from wandering again.

He smiled one of his disarming smiles at her, hoping he could take some of the edge off both of them. She smiled back, but only briefly before averting her eyes again. He held his hand out to her and wiggled his fingers in invitation before he realized what he was doing, but didn't take his hand away. Hesitantly, she took it and they walked down to the med-bay together.

The Doctor led Sophia to a far wall where so could see her father's body through for what all intents and purposes looked like an over-fancified glass coffin. Sophia thought her father looked as if he were only sleeping, only able to see the fine stitching keeping his eyes and mouth closed when she was standing right next to the coffin-like device. Even then, it was just barely visible.

"He looks so peaceful," she mused out loud.

The Doctor only made a sound of agreement and placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

Sophia blinked back tears forming behind her eyes. There would be time for more tears after she saw to her father's last rites. She took a stealing breath and laid her hand over his. "I need a flannel and clean water, oils and a sheet or cloth of some sort to wrap his body in."

The Doctor turned and pushed a metal cart in her direction, a sad smile on his lips. "Will this do?"

Sophia turned her head to look and saw the cart now between them held exactly what she hand asked for. A large bowl of clean warm water, a flannel to use to wash her father's body, oils of varying scents to dress his body, and a length of heavy white silk to wrap his body in for the pyre. She looked up at the Doctor in surprise, a question forming on her lips, but he answered it before she could ask.

"If there's anything you need, just ask the Tardis. My ship. She can usually provide anything you need.

Sophia was about to thank him, when she saw a familiar shock of hair from behind him and moved to get a better look. When she saw it was the Metacrisis, she ran to his bed side, unable or unwilling to stop herself from rushing to his side.

"See," the Doctor told her with a lightness to his tone, "we're not gods. Though, many of our people did try to convince those of what they considered "lesser" races that they were. We're not. Longer life spans, yes. Able to regenerate, yes. But eventually, even our lives come to an end; regenerations run out."

She reached out a shaking hand, but stopped short of touching him.

"Is he…" Sophia swallowed around a lump in her throat, but couldn't bring herself to finish her question. If he was dead, she didn't think she wanted to know.

"He'll be alright, just sleeping, resting now. I was able to fix his vocal cords, so when he wakes, he'll be able to actually _talk_ to you."

"When will he wake?" She asked tentatively.

"Either later in the evening or early tomorrow morning." He replaced a comforting hand on her arm and started to lean toward her, but rather than stop himself completely, he pressed his lips softly to her temple and squeezed her arm gently before pulling away from her. "I'll leave you to prepare your father's body. Call when you're ready."

The Doctor turned to leave the med-bay and after planting a soft kiss to the Metacrisis' forehead, Sophia turned her attention back to preparing her father's body for the pyre.

The Doctor, Rose and Donna remained in the Tardis during the funeral rites, wanting to allow Sophia to mourn her father in peace, but they were thankful that she had asked Gwines to stay with her to help. Since Gwines was also Estonian, it made sense that Sophia might want her there. While Donna, the Doctor and his Tardis effectively stood watch, Rose lay John down for the night before heading back to the med-bay. There was a part of her that needed to see the Metacrisis again.

Rose lingered in the doorway for a moment, watching him sleep off the effects of the anesthetic before finally making her way to the recovery bed. She brushed the fringe from his forehead and kissed him there.

"I hope she makes you happy. But know I love you. Any you. Forever."

She watched him for a moment more before bending down to kiss the corner of his mouth and leaving to rejoin her Doctor in the console room.

After her father's funeral rites and Gwines said her good-byes, Sophia slowly walked toward her room, trying to hold herself together. But when she reached her room, she couldn't bring herself to enter alone. She turned in the direction of the med-bay and found her feet following the path there that the original Doctor had shown her earlier.

Here she found her Doctor still resting. Sophia gathered her skirts and carefully climbed onto the bed behind him. She wrapped a protective arm around his middle as she felt the pinprick of tears behind her eyes again. Lifting herself up enough to look down at him, she pulled him tighter to her and pressed a kiss to his temple before settling back down behind him.

She didn't see the Doctor in brown standing in the doorway, leaning against the door frame, legs crossed at the ankles and arms crossed at his chest, watching them. Though his expression was unreadable to anyone who might have looked, he was struggling to understand what he was feeling and why he was feeling it. Rose should be the only one affecting him in such a way.

But then a thought came to him. Was it because of Rose that he was having these feelings? That he was even considering sharing their relationship? Yes, he realized. Rose and his twin both were influencing him. There was a part of him that was resisting it. The selfish part that wanted to keep Rose all to himself. But he had to consider: what did Rose want? He would bring it up to her and then give her time to think it over.


	8. Chapter 8

_"Rose…" his voice went low and gravelly, like when he wanted her, or was worried for her, or when she'd been hurt. He stood in front of her now, both hands cupping her face, his thumbs brushing against her cheek bones. He looked at her almost pleadingly, as if she might not understand what he was about to say to her. _

_Rose seemed to sense his hesitation. She looked at him a questioningly, frowning slightly as she leaned into his touch. "Doctor, what is it?" she knew there was something on his mind. He had that look in his eye as if he didn't know whether to say it or play it off as something else. She thought they had gotten past that._

_He opened his mouth and closed it again and pulled back from her a bit, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "How um…how do you feel about Sophia?" There was something in the way he had asked that question that told her he meant more than just as a person in general. He was fishing for something._

_She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well...she seems like a sweet girl. She was willing to break her heart thinking it would make it easier on, well, you know, the other you. I feel so bad for her though. She lost her Dad today. I...I like her."_

_The Doctor pulled on his right ear and looked away for a moment. "Just...like her? Nothing...nothing deeper?"_

_She frowned for a moment before realizing what he was actually wanting. "Doctor, are you...are you asking me to fulfill some sort of lesbian fantasy or something?"_

_His eyes went wide in surprise. "No! No, nothing like that...exactly."_

_"Then, what is it? Tell me. Please? Wait…what'dya mean, 'exactly'?"_

_ He took a breath to steel himself before he tried to continue, unsure of how to word this without sounding like a bigger fool than he already did. "I...I know you want to be with both me's. I can feel it, here," he tapped his temple. _

_Rose blinked a few times, taking in his body language. _"You…you're serious." She almost laughed. Not that she found it at all funny. There were butterflies in her stomach and her nerves were on edge.

_"And I know he wants to be with you as well as Sophia. Both of your desires are influencing me. Maybe we could…I don't know…work something out? Just the four of us?" He stood awkwardly as he waited for her answer, hoping he hadn't pushed her too far._

_  
>She bit her bottom lip, worrying it between her teeth. It wasn't that she wasn't open to it or even that it didn't turn her on a little. It's that she…well…that she wouldn't have any control. She knew that sounded selfish, even in her head, but she'd be lying if she denied that was how she felt. She also felt just a bit uncomfortable. Though she figured that was in part due to the fact that she did not yet know Sophia. And insecure…what if he decided he didn't want her anymore. It was silly, she know, to worry like that. But it wouldn't be the first time some bloke did something like that. Bring another woman to the bedroom and then gradually choose the new over the old. She needed time…Sophia needed time.<em>

_"Umm this is quite sudden. We, I...it's just"…, she took a calming breath before continuing. "This is very sudden. I...I wouldn't be against it per se but Sophia looks very young and she's in mourning...and…I'm just not sure…"_

_He smiled at her, sensing her hesitation. "It's alright, Rose. I…I didn't mean now. Get to know her first, yeah? Just… think about it?" He still felt nervous, still afraid he'd pushed her too much. He'd give it time. Let Rose and Sophia get to know each other better and give Sophia time to mourn her father._

_She didn't answer him, dumbstruck hesitation clear on her face. He leaned in long enough to leave a lingering kiss on her temple before disappearing down the hall. Rose's mind was still whirling too much to stop him, even though she knew if she let him, he'd vanish for who knew how long._

(Two weeks later…)

It was around midnight (give or take) when the Doctor finally came out of hiding. He was counting on the fact that everyone else on board _should_ have been asleep. Eventually, he'd have to face her; them, even…maybe. And Donna. Oh, she was gonna slap him, and/or give him what for regardless of Rose's decision, because he'd left her to 'think things over' for two bloody weeks!

His twin was likely to give him what for as well, though perhaps without the slap. Maybe. He_ did_ have Rose's DNA in him… Then there was Sophia. The Doctor shuddered to think what the hot-blooded, and equally hot-tempered Estonian might do. He shook his head to clear it. The only one whose reactions he should be concerned with was Rose's, and he had a bit of time yet before he had to face her. For now, he headed to the galley for a cuppa and something to eat.

When he entered the galley, he was met by his twin sitting at the table with a bottle of hyper-vodka Jack must have left behind after they'd all towed the Earth back into orbit. The Doctor almost visibly cringed, waiting for the inevitable.

"Finally decided to join the living, have you?" the Metacrisis asked.

The Doctor shot his twin a look that said 'don't start', but didn't speak a word as he plucked a pastry from the counter. He looked at it with curiosity, turning it over before giving it a lick to analyze its components. Yup. Flour, sugar, eggs, a pinch of salt, cinnamon; covered in an icing made of sugar and milk. Definitely a cinnamon roll. The Doctor took a large bite out of the sugary pastry and hummed happily at the flavors. The Metacrisis chuckled and shook his head at his counterpart.

"What?" asked the Doctor indignantly around a mouth full of pastry.

"You. You act like you expecting to discover something other than a cinnamon roll," the Metacrisis answered with barely contained laughter.

"Well…unless you made a stop somewhere to get some, and I would have noticed if you had. We both know the Tardis doesn't do cooking…Did _you_ make them?" The Doctor looked at the sweet roll with a little more suspicion now, "That would explain the little imperfections in each one. As if they were made by hand rather than mass produced by machine."

"No, she doesn't do cooking," responded the Metacrisis, stroking the wall next to him affectionately, "And I wouldn't let Sophia hear that 'imperfections' comment. She made them."

The Doctor smiled, mirrored by his twin as he poured himself a cuppa and sat at the table across from the Metacrisis. "Domestics…who would have thought?"

Please," the Metacrisis laughed, "we've been letting domestics happen in some form or another since we brought Rose on board."

The Doctor's expression sobered, but nodded his agreement. "Speaking of…where is Rose?"

"Asleep with Sophia in the library. They've been spending quite a bit of time there. Rose is helping Sophia translate some text or other Sophia found in the back of the library. A history tome, I think. Plus, I think they've been bonding…exchanging notes. I think we should be worried."

The Doctor sniffed, a smug smile crossing his face. "Superior Time Lord Physiology. Who's worried?" Bravado clear in his voice, though the look in his eyes said that he was worried about something.

The Metacrisis flung an ice cube at the Doctor's chest.

"Oi!"

"They don't need us in competition with each other," the Metacrisis said firmly, then smiled mischievously, "At least, not the first few times."

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up to his hairline at this. "What?!" he asked in disbelief.

The Metacrisis' expression sobered again. "Well, had you stayed to talk to Rose, not to mention me and Sophia, like an adult instead of running off…_again_, we would have told you that we're ok with your proposed arrangement. We would have sat down and worked it out."

"You're all ok with it? All three of you?" he asked in disbelief.

_After giving him a couple of hours to come out of whatever hiding spot he had disappeared to, and noting that he hadn't as yet, Rose gathered the others. They all knew it was pointless, well, everyone but Sophia. She hadn't yet dealt with this him. Not the part of him that ran. Even Donna wasn't exactly used to it. With her he'd clam up, sure, but didn't really run._

_He wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time they had finally given up, and Rose was determined to keep going. The Metacrisis, however, convinced her to stop and rest._

_"Rose, you know he's not going to be found until he wants to."_

_Yeah, I know. It's just…" she let out a strangled cry of frustration, "I thought he was done with this. With running from me. He asked me to marry him. To…to bond with him. And then he asked if I'd be ok with…and then he just took off before I could properly think about it."_

_His eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he took in Rose's words, properly surprised that the Doctor had actually asked her to bond. They'd thought about it quite a lot. Even before "new, new Doctor", and especially after Krop Tor. But to have actually asked? Then something else slowly sank in. There was something she wasn't saying. An unfinished sentence that was troubling her._

_"Asked if you'd be ok with what, exactly?" the Metacrisis asked, watching her carefully._

_Rose bit her lip as she looked up at him. Sophia's in the library, yeah?"_

_"Yes," he answered her, confusion written clearly on his face._

_She took his hand and pulled him down the corridor to the library doors. "This involves the two of you as well. Might as well tell you both at the same time."_

_He said nothing, but allowed himself to be guided to the library where he hoped some things would be cleared up._

_When the two of them entered the library, they found Donna rocking John to sleep in a cocking chair the Tardis must have provided, because there normally wasn't one here. Sophia was pacing back and forth in front of the coffee table where there were several books, paper and pencils scattered upon it._

_Rose let go of the Metacrisis' hand and walked up to Donna, asking her to put John to bed because the three of them needed to talk. Alone. That only made Donna look at Rose suspiciously._

_"Please, Donna. I'll explain later, but right now it should just stay between the three of us, well, four, if you count the Doctor since he technically started it."_

_Donna nodded. "Alright. But you better tell me what's going on. Soon, yeah?"_

_"I promise, when this gets sorted, I will. Might need someone to talk to, depending on how all this goes." She let out a harsh breath and Donna raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't ask anything further. Carefully, she gathered John closer to her chest and stood up, leaving the library to the three of them._

_Rose turned to face the Metacrisis and Sophia to find the other woman hugging him tightly and mumbling something she couldn't quite hear. After a moment, he brought her around to the couch and sat her down. Rose joined them, angling herself to face the two of them and cleared her throat before she tried to speak. Really, she had no idea how to even begin._

_Sensing Rose's hesitation, Sophia reached out and took Rose's hands in hers, and brushed gently against her mind, asking entrance. Rose jumped, pulling her hands away when she felt the new presence, making Sophia wince._

_"Sorry, I did not mean to startle you." Sophia's voice was shaky, as if afraid she had offended Rose._

_"S'alright, yeah? Just…wasn't expecting it. I didn't know you were telepathic too." Rose reached for Sophia's hands, letting the other woman know she was alright with her entering her mind. With what she was about to try to tell them, there was no point in hiding much._

_Rose opened her mind to Sophia. It was still strange, having someone else's mind in yours. And in all honesty, she was still surprised at how good it felt. After Cassandra, she didn't think she would welcome the feeling of another there. But the Doctor's presence had been comforting. Now she was feeling something similar with Sophia. A calming sensation. When Rose looked up at them, she knew from the look in Sophia's eyes, that she had found the conversation she had with the Doctor earlier. It wasn't like she was hiding it. In fact, it was at the forefront of her mind; the reason she was sitting here with them right now._

_Rose took a deep breath and let it out harshly. "He wants…he says our desires are affecting him. That he can sense it. Feel it. In his mind."_

_"All three of us?" The Metacrisis asked a bit worriedly._

_"You and me at least. Dunno if he can sense Sophia. Didn't say if he could."_

_"And he wants to…what's the word? He wants us to lie together, yes? All of us?" Sophia interjected._

_"Umm…yeah, basically." She looked to the Metacrisis, who had been sitting quietly, watching the two of them._

_"This is up to the two of you," he told them calmly. "Obviously, he wants it, or he never would have brought it up."_

_"And what about you? Do you want this?" Rose asked tentatively._

_He smiled softly between Rose and Sophia. "Yeah, I do. Don't know if it's like with him, because I can feel your desires or if it's just that human part of me being a little greedy." He smiled a bit wider, hoping they'd catch he was joking. "I love you both, of course I want this, too! But I'm not gonna ask either of you to do something you're not comfortable with. And neither will he. You know that, Rose."_

_"I know. But how can he ask me something like that and then just…take off and hide before I can give him a proper answer?"_

_"He's giving you time. Time to think about it. Time to get to know Sophia. Maybe even time to get to know me. Not to mention Sophia's still mourning her father. He knows you both need time. Something he's got plenty of and sometimes forgets the rest of us don't. Not as much as him, anyway. I'm not making excuses for him, I think he'd being an idiot too. But he does have his reasons."_

_"Yeah, I guess. But how do we even do this? I mean…" She looked to Sophia, feeling nervous again, "if you even want to."_

_Sophia's cheeks flushed and Rose could feel the heat that shot through the other woman. "I'm not…opposed to it." Sophia said shyly. "But, perhaps we should become friends first? I know that Sati and I came to care for each other quickly, but I also know that is not normally the case. Especially in a relationship such as the one being presented here."_

_Rose smiled and squeezed Sophia's hand appreciatively. "I'd like that."_

The Metacrisis stood up from the table, carrying his glass to the sink before turning back around to face his twin. "Yes. I love Rose because of you. Because I am you, at least mostly. And Because of Rose I was able to love Sophia and, god this still sounds really weird, you. Rose loves us, we both know that. As for her and Sophia? Like I said, they've been 'bonding'. They don't know it, but I caught them kissing the other day. While they were going over that book I mentioned earlier. Didn't stick around, figured I'd give them some privacy."

The Doctor let out a heavy breath, scrubbing his hands down his face. Then a slow, satisfied smile crept across his face. "Right. It's a couple more hours, at least, till they wake, yeah? What'dya say we take them somewhere nice for breakfast?" he asked, still grinning like an idiot.

The Metacrisis returned the Doctor's grin. "Epsilon V? They've got that wonderful coffee and egg restaurant. The girls will love it!"

Both Doctors headed out toward the console room to navigate the Tardis together. The Time Ship hummed her satisfaction that the two were working together. As a reward, she landed them where they wanted to go without fuss, even taking care to make sure she landed in a safe timeline.

An hour and forty-five minutes after landing, the Doctor was pacing around the console, impatiently waiting to wake Rose and Sophia. Not to mention John and Donna. He started bouncing on his toes in excitement the later it got.

"I'm gonna go start waking them up. Rose'll take at least a half hour to get up. Probably an hour…" The Doctor turned toward the corridor leading to the library and started a brisk walk in that direction.

The Metacrisis just shook his head and muttered something about the virtues of patience, which the Doctor pointedly chose to ignore, and followed his twin. When they entered the library, both Doctors froze in place. Hidden from somewhere on the floor, clothes were strewn around the library, came the distinct sound of nervous, if lust filled, giggles. Then everything fell quiet for a moment, broken only by the sound of someone gasping in pleasure.

The two Doctors looked at each other before the Metacrisis broke out in a manic, mischievous grin. Before the Doctor could stop him, the Metacrisis moved toward where Sophia and Rose were.

"Wait," the Doctor whispered harshly, "shouldn't we, you know…talk about this first?"

The Metacrisis looked over his shoulder for the briefest of seconds. "I think they're done talking."

"Yes, I can see…hear that. But that doesn't mean we should just…invite ourselves, does it?"

"You can stand there and watch…or listen in. Whatever! If you want. I, on the other hand, will risk getting slapped or told to get out. At least I tried." And with that, the Metacrisis continued his path toward where Rose and Sophia lay hidden from sight, shedding his suit jacket and t-shirt and depositing them on the sofa as he passed it.

The Doctor stared at his twin's back as he moved without reservation toward the two women. Then his eyes shifted, almost glaring at the furniture blocking his view. He saw his twin drop to the floor out of the corner of his eye and then heard the sound of Rose and Sophia simultaneously let out a helpless moan. He took a step forward as if compelled. The Doctor swallowed hard and made his way to the three of them, more cautiously than the Metacrisis had.

His eyes grew wider and wider as more and more of them came into view. He stood beside the sofa, watching, his darkening eyes trained on Rose. She was laying, face up, across Sophia's body, head resting on the other woman's bent leg with her head buried between Rose's legs. He could smell their combined arousal in the air; strong enough now he could practically taste it. He wanted to…

His twin lay flat on his stomach, his head buried between Sophia's legs. Rose opened her eyes and saw him standing there and smiled her special tongue touched smile, reaching out a hand to him.

"S'alright, Doctor. You're not dreaming. This is really happening, yeah? C'mere."

He removed his suit jacket and loosened his tie before kneeling down beside her. Rose grabbed him by his tie and pulled him closer to her, capturing his lips in hers and moaning into his mouth. He reached a hand toward her, using the other for balance, touching her skin experimentally at first. Her hand not gripping his tie brushed against his hardening length through his trousers. His hips surged forward into her hand as she deepened the kiss, his hand quickly finding her breast.

From the doors, Donna smiled to herself and quietly closed them behind her as she padded down the hall back to her room.

After a shower and several apologies (for running from the three of them in the first place) from the Doctor later, the four of them made their way to the console room. There Donna and John seemed to have been playing hide and seek while waiting.

The Doctor beamed at his best friend and son already up, dressed and waiting for them. That is, until he noticed Donna's knowing smile; his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline as she mouthed the words:

"It's about bloody time!"

"Are we going to see Jack?" asked Rose from behind him.

The two Doctors looked at each other, then turned back to Rose. "Weeelllll," began the Doctor in brown.

"S'pose we could, though that wasn't the original plan…" the Doctor in blue pouted.

"Still….I did promise you we'd visit after things got settled, and it has been a little over two weeks now."

"And knowing Jack, he'll be so happy to see us, he'll probably pay for breakfast. And then shopping trip? Sophia could use a few adventuring clothes of her own, I think," the Metacrisis turned to face Sophia and smiled his manic grin at her.

All three women's faces lit up.

"Who's Jack?" asked Sophia curiously.

The Doctor took in a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh as he wrapped his arms around Rose and pulling her tight to his chest. "Jack's…well, Jack. He's really a good guy, but he's got no shame. Plus, he's just…wrong. Oh, goodness! How's John gonna react to him?"

Rose shrugged in the Doctor's arms. "Dunno. Might react like you do, might not. Didn't seem to affect me all that much. I mean, I could feel what Bad Wolf did to him, but I didn't get sick or anythin'."

At Sophia's look of confusion, the Metacrisis approached her and mirrored the Doctor embrace, wrapping his arms around Sophia and pulling her tight to his chest. "Jack's immortal, or as close to immortal as anyone can get. He'll eventually die, but he may well outlive the last full Time Lord. But he was human before. Technically still is. Just…well, most humans aren't immortal."

"Jack's a friend of ours. Used to travel with us for a while, before he got changed," Rose added in.

"Yes," the Doctor in brown agreed, "and now he runs Torchwood."

"Torchwood's back?" Rose asked, at once surprised and curious.

The Doctor made a noise of affirmation at the back of his throat. "A bit kinder and less heavy handed, not to mention actually concerned with the wellbeing of humanity."

He moved back toward the console, pulling Rose along with him. The Metacrisis did the same while pulling Sophia beside him as Donna and John sat on the Jump seat. He showed Sophia what levers to pull and buttons to push and when, while he, the Doctor and Rose worked in tandem to bring the Tardis out of the Time Vortex and land on Earth, Cardiff.

The six of them exchanged smiles and walked toward the Tardis doors, the Doctor grabbing his long coat from the coral strut and slipping it on before opening the doors. He reached for Rose's hand, who had taken John's hand and the trio exited the Tardis first, followed closely by Donna. Sophia started to walk down the ramp, but the Metacrisis wrapped his arms around her again, stopping her movement.

"Give 'em a mo, yeah?" he whispered close to her ear.

Tongue, teeth and lips found the tip of her ear, nibbling lightly. It was a spot he had found quite by accident a few days ago. While he hadn't run and hid, like his Time Lord counterpart, he had kept his distance. He had wanted to give her time to grieve and process everything, especially what Rose had said about the four of them, when she was ready.

Sophia could stop neither the giggling, nor the sudden wave of heat that rushed to her core. He hadn't been hiding from her, but he hadn't touched her like this since bringing her aboard the Tardis. She had sort of appreciated that, but at the same time, there were nights she had needed him and he wasn't there next to her. He had told her he was giving her time and her space to grieve. She hadn't liked it, but she understood his reasoning. And in all honesty, she wouldn't have trusted herself alone with him some nights. He probably would have stopped her, had he thought it a bad idea. But would that have made it better or worse?

She turned in his arms when he released her ear. "Catch me kissing another woman and suddenly you can't keep your hands to yourself, Sati?" she asked teasingly, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Kissing? Is that what you're calling it?"

"Well….it's sort of like kissing…"

The Metacrisis opened his mouth to respond when he heard Rose call for them to come out.


End file.
